Breath of Fire II: A Novelization
by Rdr2
Summary: Follow the adventures of Ryu and Company, but with a few new twists. Story is altered slightly to be more realistic and sensible than the game. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I decided to make Ryu and Bow both twenty-one years of age. That would make Ryu eleven when he was separated from Yua and Ganer. Why do I make them older? Because I'm always wary of stories that involve underage drinkers or underage smokers trying to save the world. With their immaturity, they're bound to screw something up royally. But theynever do, because no one wants verisimilitude in their games! Anyway, it doesn't really affect the plot, but it does make any romances between Ryu, Katt, and Nina less...well...underage.I changed canon slightly; in this story, Ryu and Bow are more experienced than the game would indicate. They are accomplished adventurers who have traveled a significant part of the world (mostly the main continent), but they have not yet been fully accepted into the Ranger's Guild by the start of the story. I made Ryu more cerebral than most people think he is because I feel that our favorite laconic blue-haired Dragon would take his job more seriously. Thus, he would dedicate more time to both physical and mental training.

One more thing: Okasan means mother. Oniisan means older brother, but Yua says onii-chan, which is less formal.

**Chapter One: Birds, Bugs, and Pigs**

Dreaming. Dreaming of innocence. Dreaming of youth. Dreaming of the past.

Giggling.

"Yua! It's time for your nap!"

A flash of blue hair…a memory of soft blue eyes. "Ryu, could you go find your sister? She must be by the mountains, I'll wager."

_No, something's wrong. Everything will go away…._

"I'm sorry. If I had been stronger, your mother would still be here."

"Don't blame yourself, Papa. Okasan's still with us. I can talk to her whenever I sleep here by the dragon!"

"Can you now, Yua? How very good of her to talk to you. You were always her favorite daughter."

"Hee hee! Papa, you're being silly. I'm okasan's _only_ daughter!"

"Ryu, come on. Let's go back to the town. We'll wash up, have dinner, and talk about your mother."

_Okasan…. Someone who went away a long time ago._

"Onii-chan, I'll bet if you sleep by the dragon, you'll see okasan, too."

_I did sleep there. All I saw was that eye. The eye that was so frightening, yet so soothing at the same time._

"My name's Bow. What's yours?"

_Ryu. Ryu Bateson._

"Whoa! Did you see that thing, Ryu? Let's go check it out!"

_No! No, Bow! That's—_

"THE DESTINED CHILD. YOU MUST BE JOKING! YOU ARE A MERE STRIPLING!"

_The eye. That thing had the Eye._

Ryu wiped the sleep from his eyes, banishing the dream. He had been having a lot of them recently. Sun shone through the window, glimmering across the motes of dust in the apartment. It smelled of old laundry, leftover takeout, and wet dog fur. _Dog fur. Damn it,_ Ryu thought, _Bow left the water on._ He forced himself out of bed and called, "Bow! Bow, for Eva's sake, kill that water pump, would you? Our bill's going to be high enough as it is."

Bow Doggie was a rotund youth who looked just like his namesake. Wiping wet hands on a green tunic, the Grass Runner said, "Thought you'd be asleep for the next month, the way you were snoring."

"I don't snore," Ryu protested, running a hand through his dark blue hair. He yawned. "What time is it?"

"About noon. That was some party last night, huh?"

Ryu tried not to remember. He did not engage in debauchery—to him, it was all carelessness and irresponsibility, laden with trouble. He had better things to do with his time. But Bow wanted to throw a "special twenty-first birthday party" for him and invited everyone from the Ranger's Guild and then some to join in the festivities. Ryu had been forced to consume an ungodly number of drinks out of politeness; everyone kept on tossing one back "for his health."

_Hypocrites,_ he groused silently. _This hangover isn't very healthy._

"If this is the tone for the rest of my life, then I think I'll conveniently forget my birthday," Ryu muttered. He stood up and dressed, tugging on loose red trousers and a gray leather jerkin. "Binge parties aside, today's the day we'll get our first assignment as full members of the guild. Or has the drink addled your memory, Bow?"

The Grass Runner smiled merrily. "Not in the slightest. It's about damn time we got some real pay for the work we do, instead of this lousy twenty percent markdown. I never understood why guild law requires apprentices to be paupers."

Ryu, who took the time to learn the ways of the guild market, explained, "It's a matter of nepotism, actually. Most guilds are run by a single family, which is why the Elder is always from the Madison family. We joined the guild as outsiders, without a sponsor. That doesn't take too well with most guilds. The markdown is supposed to weed out people like us."

"Where do you learn this stuff, Ryu?" Bow asked absently as he checked his quiver and crossbow.

Ryu shrugged. "I was curious so I looked in the library for books about guild history. Very enlightening."

"Leave it to you to stick your nose in a book instead of between a pair of soft breasts," Bow muttered.

"I'll leave the pretty girls to you, Bow," Ryu said, buckling on his sword so that the hilt jutted from behind his shoulder. "You know I'm no good with them, anyway. Come on, we mustn't keep the Elder waiting."

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Bow growled in disbelief. "'Look for a pet?' This is an insult, Elder!" 

The balding Elder Madison, leader of the Hometown Ranger's Guild, listened to Bow's tirade with growing impatience. "I match the job with the talent," he said snidely.

A vein popped on Bow's temple. "You must be joking! Elder, you know we can handle better jobs than this! Ryu and I have claimed more goblin ears that John or Vory could at our age. We've escorted a Shell clan nobleman from Corsair to Simafort in record time and against some really nasty monsters. We've even taken on bounties that more experienced rangers wouldn't even touch! And succeeded!"

"Which only demonstrates that you have a penchant for doing reckless things," the Elder replied evenly. "You are skilled, I do not dispute that. But skill does not constitute wisdom. You, Bow, are brash and impatient. Ryu is neither, but he follows your lead, making his judgement questionable at best."

Ryu listened to this criticism with his usual calm. After all, he agreed with the Elder's assessment to the letter, even if it was against him.

The Elder continued, "This job is a lowly one. I intentionally offer it to you because it will teach you to respect even the most menial tasks. Working as a ranger is more than just hiring yourself off as a mercenary or being a bounty hunter. It's also about self-control. Rangers are not heroes, Bow. We don't do anything that stupid. Now shut up and get to work."

Bow looked at the case file on the Elder's desk with contempt. He crossed his arms over his wide chest. "Some stupid fool lost his pet. Bah! What a waste of time."

Then the door opened and in walked in a demure teenaged girl, graceful and slender, with long hair so dark that it was almost blue. A pair of angelic downy wings grew from her back, indicating that she was a Windian. Ryu noted with wry amusement that Bow's mouth was sagging.

"Elder Madison?" the girl said quietly. "Are these the ones who will find my Suzy?"

"Yes, Mina," answered the Elder. "But it seems they do not want—"

"Whoa, whoa!" Bow protested, sliding up in front of the girl named Mina. He bowed to her in a passably courtly way. "Bow's the name. A pleasure to meet you…eh…Mina, right? Don't worry, my buddy Ryu and I will find your Suzy. No problem!"

Mina curtsied. "Thank you, Ranger Bow."

After she left, Bow grabbed Ryu's arm. "She's so cute!" he whistled appreciatively.

"You and pretty girls," Ryu muttered, shaking his head. The Elder also looked amused. "It looks like we'll be taking the job after all, Elder."

The Elder smiled wryly. "I figured you would."

* * *

"I never saw anyone that cute before!" Bow exclaimed as he and Ryu walked out of the guild. 

"You said that about Kelly, as I recall," Ryu noted. "And Mary, and Tamara, and that new secretary, Silvia."

"Yeah, but that's different."

"No it's not. It just means you go head over heels for anything on two legs with a pretty face."

Suddenly, Ryu had a hard time breathing as Bow put him in a headlock. "What's the big idea?" he wailed. "Bow, let go! Ouch! Stop! No noogies! I said stop!"

"You got to learn to appreciate the opposite sex, Ryu," Bow said, finally releasing his friend. "If it looks like I'm always pining off after anything with breasts, its because I'm picking up your slack. You're so much of a stone statue that sometimes I wonder if you're even really human."

Ryu scratched at his offended scalp. "Maybe I'm not. Who knows? I've just never been really interested in girls. I'm more comfortable around books or when I'm on a job."

"Which is the whole problem!" Bow said. "You've got too much work ethic. You're a workaholic. You never relax or have any fun."

"You have my word that I'll strive to be as base and shallow as you, Bow," Ryu said sarcastically.

The Grass Runner went with it, slapping his friend on the back and saying, "That's the spirit. Soon, we'll have you surrounded by a bevy of beautiful nude women, with buckets of cheap ale on the floor, and tons and tons of junk food for you to feast on."

Ryu looked at the sky. "If we start work now, we should have some idea of where Suzy is by nightfall."

The two rangers spent the rest of the afternoon going through the streets of Hometown, asking around about any pets that might have gone on their lonesome. A pig, of all things, had been spotted trotting merrily southwards and into Mount Fubi.

"A pig?" Bow said incredulously. "Mina's pet is a pig?"

"Different strokes, different folks," Ryu said indifferently. He had other concerns on his mind. "Mount Fubi…we went there to capture that one escaped serial killer a year ago, didn't we? I seem to remember having a hard time against some of its nastier denizens."

"Oh right," Bow groaned. "The harpies. There were a lot of them for some reason. Let's hope we can dodge them this time."

The two made the daylong trek to Mount Fubi, walking straight through the night. Dawn broke when they reached the craggy paths of their destination.

"As long as we move early, the harpies won't spot us," Ryu said.

"How do you know?" Bow asked.

"After our run-in with them last year, I researched the monsters' habits. Seems they like sleeping in. They are most active around noontime to nightfall, but only rarely will they wake up before then."

"Let me guess—you went to the library to learn that."

Ryu's grin was visible even in the pale light of dawn. "Actually, I talked to Vory about it. There was an open bounty on harpy feathers at the time."

The two rangers made their way through the mountains without incident. They came to the other side when they saw the tracks. "Pig tracks," Bow noted. "Looks like we're on the right path. I still can't believe we're tracking a pig."

"Why is this so surprising to you?" Ryu asked.

Bow harrumphed. "Pigs shouldn't be wandering around in monster-infested mountains. They should be roasting over a spit!"

Ryu chuckled. "Better not let Mina hear you say that." His mirth was quickly quelled when he saw a grayish spatter on some nearby rocks. "Uric acid," he said quietly. "Still wet, too. There are harpies here. We must have made too much noise and woken some up."

Bow loaded a crossbow quarrel. "Just our luck," he grumbled.

Sure enough, there came a high-pitched shriek as three winged females—harpies—dropped from their high perches in an all-out attack. "We must look mighty tasty," Bow said, taking aim.

"You do at least," Ryu said, drawing his sword. "You've got more meat on you."

A quarrel sailed through the air and struck a harpy between the eyes, slaying it instantly. "I'm just big boned, damn it!" Bow retorted. He struggled to reload his weapon. "Ryu, get your skinny ass moving! The other two are heading right for you!"

But his friend was already in motion. Ryu swung his broadsword out, down, and up in a circular sweep that shorn the wings off one of the harpies. The second monster raked six talons across his chest, cutting deeply into his leather jerkin, but failing to penetrate his flesh. Ryu retaliated with a stab into the creature's back, severing its spine. The remaining harpy, wingless and beaten, crawled away in fright.

"I wonder if there any bounties left on harpy feathers?" Ryu asked absently.

* * *

"That's funny," Bow said. "I don't remember ever seeing these ruins last time we were here." 

"That's because we caught the serial killer before he could get this far," Ryu said, looking around alertly. Though there were only a few broken buildings overgrown with plant life, it was clear the ruins had once been a village or city. The only structure left standing was a two-story house, with one story caved in.

"Suzy's tracks stop here," Ryu said, kneeling down and pressing his fingers into the soil. "There are boot tracks. She must have been picked up. And not too long ago; these tracks are still very, very fresh. They lead into the house."

The two rangers walked in and found a wiry old man dressed in rags nursing a beaten black cauldron with a pig in it. The old man let out a startled yelp at their approach and reached for a gnarled staff. "Get back, ye thiefs!" he shouted in a squeaky voice. "Ye won't be gettin' Niro's dinner!"

"I'm afraid we're going to have to," Ryu said calmly. "That pig over there is someone's pet. She'd be very sad if you ate her. Bow?" The Grass Runner was already taking the animal out of the caldron. Suzy squealed and oinked pleasantly, grateful to be saved.

"Ye blaggards!" the old man, Niro, cried. "Takin' an old man's dinner! An' in his own home, too!"

"You _live_ here?" Bow asked incredulously, looking around at the filthy house.

"Aye, lad. Niro's been livin' here since he stopped his wanderin'. It's quiet, lots of animals around to hunt, lots of fish to eat. But seems it has too many younglings bargin' an' makin' a racket an' stealin' my food!"

"We apologize, Mister Niro," Ryu said politely, though he did not mean a word of it. To him, the whole episode seemed ridiculous and he was getting tired of listening to the squealing of an old man. Ryu took a package of dried fruit out of his backpack and tossed it at the old man's feet. "This should make up for your trouble."

Ryu and Bow left with Suzy in their custody. The last thing they heard was Niro shouting, "Fruit? What is Niro? A buzzard? Bah!"

* * *

Bow was sulking. When Bow sulked, it was often over a girl. When it was over a girl, Bow would eventually feel better around dinnertime. Ryu decided to make dinner early, just to get things over with. The two rangers had returned Suzy to Mina, who—to Bow's disappointment—was heading back home to Windia the next day. This sent the Grass Runner into a spiraling pit of despair that would last as long as he was hungry. 

"Here," Ryu handed him a bowl of mutton stew.

"You'd think a reward of five hundred gold would buy us a decent meal," Bow muttered, chewing the meat.

"Our landlady's the one who really got the reward," Ryu said, spooning broth into his mouth. "She's been heckling us for two months about rent, after all."

"She's a harpy," the Grass Runner said with a hearty laugh. Ryu smiled quietly, glad that his friend had regained his usual humor. "Ah well," said Bow dreamily, leaning into his bed. "No way a cute girl like Mina would ever fall for someone like me, anyway. Can't feel mopey about it forever."

"You said that about Lucy and Melissa and Tina, too," said Ryu.

"Keeping records of my conquests, eh?" Bow said.

"You're not very discreet about the ones you ogle," Ryu replied.

Bow was about to turn off the lights and hit the sack when he gave Ryu a questioning look. "You don't happen to have a record of the color of my underwear, too, would you?"

Ryu turned onto his side and pulled the covers over his shoulders. He answered simply, "Blue."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Altered more canon material. The trek to Mount Fubi with Bow in a trashcan gets omitted because it doesn't add to the main story anyway. I gave a direct hint to Corsair rather than "oh, why don't you ask around Hometown and Corsair for a bat girl" excuse like they did in the game. In this story, I'm making the assumption that Katt is about 18 and Rand is in his early thirties. Thus, Katt can still act fiery and hotheaded, but also has more life experience. Also, Rand can have that "calming, wise experience" trait that seems to fit with his patient personality.

**Chapter Two: Katt and Mouse**

Ryu woke up feeling queasy. He had the dream again. He dreamt of his father, Ganer, and his little sister, Yua. He dreamt of how everyone in his hometown of Gate had forgotten who he was. He dreamt of the loneliness he felt—the loneliness he continued to feel, even after befriending Bow for all these years. He dreamt of the demon in the cave, the demon with the Eye. He dreamt of the Eye.

_The Eye…The Eye…The Eye…._

Ryu shook away the slumber and looked around. "Bow?" But the Grass Runner was nowhere in sight. The crossbow and quiver were gone—a sure sign that Bow had gone off with some task in mind. _First rule of being a ranger—never go unprepared,_ Ryu thought. _But where'd Bow go that he would need his weapons?_

Ryu left the apartment to look for him. He was about to leave the building when a city guardsman entered and shouted, "You! Stop!"

"Is something wrong, guardsman?" Ryu asked calmly.

"You're the roommate of the thief, Bow, right?" the guard asked.

"Yes—wait, what?" Ryu said, stunned. "What happened to Bow?"

The guard was all too willing to tell the gory details. "Bow Doggie was found breaking into Lord Trout's manor, intent on stealing some item of value. However, Doggie escaped before we could apprehend him. As his roommate, you are under suspicion of being an accomplice to burglary. I have a warrant to search your room."

"Go right ahead," Ryu said stonily. "You won't find anything there. I was just going to look for Bow myself."

After the guard had left, satisfied that there were no "incriminating pieces of evidence" in the apartment, Ryu buckled on his sword with a frown. "What you gotten yourself into this time, Bow?" he wondered worriedly. He walked into the streets of Hometown and made his way to Lord Trout's manor. Just as he turned a corner, a girl slammed headlong into him. Both crashed to the ground.

"Hey! Who're—" Ryu started when he saw the girl's wings. Unlike a Windian's, the girl's wings were like a bat's, fearsome and terrifying…yet somehow familiar. Ryu felt an ache in his heart when he looked into the strange girl's wide blue eyes.

_A flash of blue hair…a memory of soft blue eyes._

_Who is this girl?_ Ryu wondered.

"Sorry, sorry!" the girl said, darting back to her feet and fleeing. Ryu noticed that she was carrying a bag that clinked. Something fell out…a map of Corsair bearing Trout's family crest.

"Wait!" Ryu ordered, picking up the map. "Stop, thief!" But the girl had already vanished. "Damn it…. Bow! I have to find Bow!" He wandered through the streets, checking out all of his friend's favorite haunts: the Chuckling Woman, the Wandering Mage, the houses of Henrietta, Julie, and Pricilla…but Bow seemed to have dropped from the face of the earth.

"He always was good at hiding," Ryu grumbled in defeat, heading back to the apartment. He opened the door to find Bow yelping in surprise. "How'd you—" Ryu began, but decided that how was not as important as why. "You've got some explaining to do," he said simply.

"Yeah," Bow said sheepishly. "I guess I do."

Ryu sat down and waited for Bow's explanation. He obliged. "One of the nobles in town, Kilgore, asked me to steal something from Trout. Turns out that Trout had stolen something called a magic hood from Kilgore; he wanted it back. That's why he hired me. I know you're a decent thief, but I'm better, so I thought I could handle it."

"Way to handle it," Ryu cut in dryly.

Bow frowned. "It's not what you think. I didn't even get a chance to steal anything. Some girl with bat wings was already there and picked the place clean. She hightailed it and left me to take the fall. That's when the guards showed up."

"I saw her," Ryu said. "The girl with the wings. I tried to catch her, but she escaped."

"We've got to find her, Ryu!" Bow exclaimed. "It's the only way to clear my name!"

"I know, Bow. We will, don't worry. She can't have gotten too far. But first thing's first—we have to get you out of town. How good are you at sneaking past the watch?"

Bow grinned with his usual devil-may-care nonchalance. "As good as I was back when we were kids."

"Then go to the ruins west of Mount Fubi. Stay with that old man, Niro. Here, give him some of our food from the icebox, just to make sure he'll shelter you. No one will think of hiding at the ruins, if only because it's not on any maps. Speaking of maps, I think I know where the real thief is heading." Ryu produced the map the girl had dropped. "This is a detailed map of Corsair, every street, tourist spot, and bar. If you think about it, it makes sense. If you're a thief and you want to fence some goods, Corsair is the best place to do it. It's big, it has a black market, and it has a lot of shady characters working in the Coliseum."

"I see," said Bow. "So I'll hide out in the ruins while you chase after the thief. Sounds like a good plan." Bow shifted his feet, suddenly uncomfortable. "I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?"

Ryu was silent. But there was no judging in his blue eyes.

Bow lowered his head, ashamed. "I just realized that I've been the one getting us into trouble since the day we met. I'm the one who said we should follow that tail in the cave near Gate. It almost got us killed. I was the one who said we should explore the dungeon beneath the Silvergate Mountains. We almost starved. I was—"

"You're also the one who makes sure I'll never be bored," Ryu cut in calmly, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "As far as I'm concerned, this is just one more adventure. My only regret is that you won't be traveling with me."

Bow smiled. He looked like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Yeah. You know you're not going to make it without me, right, buddy?"

"Eva knows I'll be killed by the first monster I see," Ryu agreed with a grin.

"Take care, then."

"You too."

* * *

The journey to Corsair was a lonely one. Ryu had always felt alone, even with Bow, simply because of the strange events that happened ten years ago in Gate. He had his family taken from him, as well as made into a total stranger overnight. Loneliness was an old friend to Ryu. But he never realized just how lonely he was until he started on the road without a certain Grass Runner at his side.

_It's like losing Yua again,_ Ryu thought. _Like losing a brother._

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not take in the sights of Corsair. Not that he needed to. He and Bow had been to Corsair several times over the last few years. Mercenary work was plentiful in the city, as the surrounding region was notorious for its high monster population. Whether it was guarding trade caravans, taking on bounties on monster tusks, or fighting in the Coliseum, Ryu and Bow had had their share of work and adventure within Corsair's walls.

The only difference now was that Ryu walked the streets alone.

_There's the pub where Bow got me to challenge some thug to an arm-wrestling match. Hmm…perhaps I can find the thief there._ Ryu entered and was immediately assailed by a man. He dodged out of the way and realized that the man was not attacking him—he was being thrown out of the pub! "What the hell?" Ryu walked in to see a bar brawl in full course.

At the center of the melee was an enormous gray-skinned man from the Shell clan, a large human with a thick axe, and a scantily-clad Woren girl twirling a stout staff. The human and the Woren were trading blows, while the Shell seemed to be taking bets. Those patrons who wanted their money back had started the brawl.

Ryu had to punch a few overzealous betters in order to make his way to the bar. "Ale," he said to the bartender, acting nonchalant. He watched the human and Woren with interest. _The human's strong, but the girl's quick and sure,_ he noted with expert eyes. _The Woren will win in the end._ Sure enough, the Woren leaped over the human's sweeping axe blade, only to land a solid blow on his head with her staff. The human went down instantly.

"Nothing less than the best from you, Katt," congratulated the Shell. He applauded with big gray hands that were covered in calluses.

_Those aren't a fighter's hands,_ Ryu thought. _Those calluses are from working a hoe or a tiller. Like my father's…._ He shook away those thoughts and focused on the present.

The Woren was beaming with self-assured confidence. She rested her staff across her shoulders. "Of course! No one beats Katt Chuan in a fight." She kicked her fallen opponent. "Ain't that right, Babadel? Who'd name their kid Baba, anyway? Stupid name!"

"Winning at the Coliseum will be a breeze for you, my friend," said the Shell, clapping her shoulder. "Just remember the rule of gladiators—entertain the audience and then beat the seven shades of shit out of the poor fool in front of you."

"Just make sure people are betting on me, Rand," said the Woren, "and I'll show them a real good time."

The Woren left the pub, stepping over the downed bodies of brawlers. The Shell sat down by the bar and nursed a mug of ale. Ryu decided to strike up a conversation. "You must be the manager of that interesting Woren."

The Shell, Rand, looked at him guardedly and replied slowly, "I may very well be. You do not look from these parts. You are?"

"Ryu Bateson. I'm looking for someone. As a manager of the Coliseum, you must come across lots of people. By chance, have you seen a girl with bat wings?"

"An odd question, stranger," Rand replied. "But no, I've not seen anyone of that particular description. The strangest I've seen in town would be Katt Chuan, the fighter who just floored the previous champion, Babadel."

"So she's the champion of the Coliseum," Ryu noted.

"Not until she beats the fighters in the arena," Rand said. "Babadel's getting old. Wanted a bit of his old glory back. He challenged Katt to an unofficial duel and lost. It was entertaining, earned me some gold tonight, but now I have to find someone to fill in for Baba tomorrow."

Ryu checked his purse. It was getting light. "Your name is Rand, right? Well, Rand, you're in luck. I'm broke and I need to earn some quick cash. Let me in the Coliseum and I'll split my take with you twenty-eighty in your favor."

Rand looked surprised. "Twenty-eighty? And in my favor? You must be mad. You'll still be broke with only twenty percent take."

Ryu shrugged. "I don't need much to get by."

"Apparently not," the Shell agreed. "All right, you bought yourself a slot in the arena, Ryu Bateson. Good luck in it."

* * *

Ryu ended up signing in under Baba's name, since Babadel was already registered. But the day was bright and promised a series of interesting fights. Bow often chided Ryu on his almost obsessive work ethic, but this was not to say that Ryu did not enjoy life. He simply did things for fun that other people would not. Such as reading textbooks about ancient history, or studying investigative skills from a bounty hunter, or learning a new martial art from a fighter. Or testing his mettle in an arena.

But first Ryu had to meet with his manager, a man named Angus—a formality, but one observed by custom in the Coliseum. Angus was a small and shady man, long of face and short of hair. There was sulfur in the air around him, possibly residue from a particularly potent weed that he had been smoking. Ryu noted that Angus carried a broad-bowled pipe in hand when he walked.

All in all, Ryu felt uncomfortable around him.

"You are Baba?" Angus asked, drawing on his pipe and expelling a ring of foul smoke. "You're smaller than I've heard. But no matter. I'm sure your skill is up to your reputation. Not that it matters. You will win this fight regardless. You see, Katt Chuan has a bit of an attitude, one that I do not appreciate. She must be taught a lesson. You will teach her that part of that lesson."

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me," Ryu said warily, noting the hard edge in Angus' tone.

"Oh no, you mistake me, boy," said Angus. "Your skill will get you far, I'm sure. But I want to be certain that the girl knows her place. When you fight Chuan—and I'm sure you'll get that far at least—certain men in the audience will fire needles at her, coated in an extract of a scorpion's tail. With any luck, the poison will let her live long enough for her muscles to deteriorate, leaving her unable to fight for the rest of her life."

Angus looked at him with a bemused expression. "What's wrong, boy? You look a little…perturbed. Do you find my methods…displeasing? Well, I assure you that the little reward in your locker room will persuade you to see things my way." Angus dismissed Ryu then and there.

Ryu headed for the locker room to prepare for the upcoming fights. But despite a quick bath, he could not get the slimy feeling off his skin after his conversation with Angus. _This isn't good,_ he thought as he dressed. _Looks like I've gotten myself into a world of trouble even without Bow's help._

Ryu opened his locker and found a bag of large minted coins. "Bow'd have an orgasm just looking at this," he noted wryly.

Just then, Rand walked in. "Just wanted to make sure everything's going smooth for you, Ryu. You're up next, you know. Hey, what's that?" he asked, pointing at the bag.

"Dirt money," Ryu answered. "You're not going to believe this, but Angus wants Katt to lose. He's going to poison her fight against me. He wants to ruin her life as a fighter."

Rand's gray face went stone hard. "Had you said that to anyone else, they'd probably think you were crazy. But poison needles…Angus wasn't always the manager, you see. His predecessor, my former boss, died of a 'heart attack' a few months ago…but I recognized the signs of tetanus in him. Inflicted tetanus. I wondered who'd want to kill him, but it seems Angus fills the bill."

"I don't mind fighting someone, but I do mind this," Ryu said.

Rand thought for a moment. "Give me the money. I'll buy vaccines for both of you. While I'm out, you tell Katt about what Angus is up to."

Rand left the Coliseum while Ryu knocked on the door to the women's locker room. Katt Chuan, wrapped in a thin robe, answered. "What is it?" she demanded. "I'm getting changed here."

"There's been a complication," Ryu said ominously. "Angus intends to poison you. Rand will be here with an antidote. You have to take it."

Katt looked at him curiously and then narrowed her eyes dangerously. Emerald orbs glowed with rage. Her fur stood on end. "You've got to be kidding me! I'm not going to let an opponent feed me anything. Get out!" She slammed the door in his face.

"Fiery one," Ryu muttered. He returned to his locker room, where Rand waited with two vials. "Katt's being stubborn," he explained. "She won't take the antidote."

"Figures," Rand sighed. "She's like a Biruburu, that one is. Here," he handed him both vials. "Take both of them. It'll be up to you to protect her in the fight."

Ryu downed both vials in a gulp. The liquid was bitter, but he swallowed it anyway. "You care a lot about Katt, don't you, Rand?"

The Shell shrugged. "She's a friend. I look out for my friends. It's what I do. You better get out there, Ryu. The people want to see Baba fight."

* * *

Ryu had studied the fighting arts for ten years. In his travels with Bow, he had sought out swordsmen, martial artists, and cage fighters, learning the ways of battle through their lessons and his own self-tutelage. Bow used to say that he took his studies too seriously, but they paid off in their own way. For one thing, none of the fighters in the Coliseum could come near to Ryu's level of skill. He defeated most opponents after only a few passes. None were able to land a blow.

Thus, Ryu went up the tournament ladder faster than anyone expected. He was soon face to face with Katt Chuan. _Let's hope these antidotes are worth it,_ he thought, looking around the audience for Angus' henchmen; he could not find them. _Not that any decent hitmen would be easy to find._ Ryu focused his attention on his opponent.

Katt cracked her knuckles and spun her staff expertly. She was ready for a rumble. "You ain't scaring me with your talk of poison and tricks, Baba. Bring it on, and we'll settle this man to woman!" She grinned fiercely, baring sharp teeth. Her purr sounded like a tigress' growl.

Ryu silently drew his sword and assumed a defensive stance, crouching low. Katt came on faster than he had expected, her staff striking harder than any fighter he had ever faced before. But Ryu deflected the blow, though it numbed his hands to do so. _What uncanny speed!_ he thought in wonder. _What uncanny strength!_

"What's the matter?" Katt said haughtily. "Scared already? Come on and fight me!" She swung her staff again. Ryu ducked and brought his blade up to block its reverse sweep. Iron staff clanged loudly against steel sword. Numbness coursed up his arm, chillingly. But he did not cry out.

"The silent type, eh?" the Woren drawled lazily. "You're so boring!" She kicked at his head, but Ryu had already slipped under her leg and slammed the pommel of his weapon into the small of her back. Then he backed up and performed a roundhouse to her temple, landing a solid blow. The Woren wobbled, dazed, giving Ryu enough time knock the staff out of her hands.

That was when he saw the needle out of the corner of his eye. He raised his arm and let the projectile dig into his flesh. He felt more pinpricks of pain light up across his back. But he ignored the pain and his suddenly hazy vision. Moving mechanically, he swept Katt into his arms and hobbled to the safety of the locker rooms beyond.

* * *

"You really should thank him," Rand said from where he sat at the other end of the room. "He did save your life."

"Don't need to rub it in," Katt growled. She was leaning against the wall by the bed. The bed that a comatose Ryu was sleeping in. She punched the wall. "I was such a jerk to him earlier."

"Must take a lot for you to admit that," the Shell cut in.

"Would you lay off?" the Woren hissed. "I'm going to thank him, of course. I…just don't know how. I don't like being saved. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need anyone protecting me, especially a skinny blue-haired weirdo like him."

"Weirdo or no, you owe him your life, so the least you can do is be civil. After all, 'what we do for others is returned tenfold by ourselves,'" Rand said sagely, "or so sayeth the teachings of wise Saint Eva."

Katt frowned. "I didn't know you were the religious type."

Rand nodded. "Not of Saint Eva, at least. But it's good to know the doctrines of those who are popular in the area you're living in. It's called bearing an open-mind." Rand looked up as the bed stirred. "Ah, it seems our noble friend awakens."

Katt stiffened up, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. She was blushing furiously. She dipped into a low bow. "T-t-thank you for saving my lifeandI'msorryIactedlikeajerkearlier!" she said in a rush.

Ryu shook his head, as if clearing it. Then he looked at her and said calmly, "I'd appreciate it more if you said it slower."

"Thank you for saving my life," Katt repeated. "I'm sorry I acted like a jerk."

"Oh. You're welcome. My name is Ryu Bateson." He extended his hand.

She took it. "I'm Katt Chuan."

Ryu rolled his legs off the bed and stood up, stretching sore muscles. "A pleasure to meet you under less violent circumstances, Katt. Now, I don't know about you, but I just got shot full of needles by a rat bastard of a man. I'd like to punch his face in right now."

Katt cracked her knuckles. "Me too. He tried to kill me, after all."

Rand opened the door. "Since you two are dead set on beating Angus to a pulp, I better go with you." He smiled ironically. "Eva knows Katt will get you into no end of trouble, Ryu."

Ryu smiled as well. _First dogs, now cats. Seems I just can't get away from troublemakers._


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: More canon changes to the plot, if only to give it more verisimilitude. This section's made up almost entirely of little vignettes. It seems appropriate, considering that this section of the game was more of an interlude than a real plot point. My intent this chapter is to milk this interlude for all its worth, developing character relationships between Ryu and his friends. Unfortunately, Rand gets kind of shafted in this one. Nina will appear in the next chapter. I'll strive to update weekly, thus giving enough time to write and revise each chapter until I'm satisfied with it.

**Chapter Three: Interlude**

Ryu, Rand, and Katt burst into Angus' office. More precisely, Katt broke the door down while the other two meekly followed her more forceful lead.

"Angus, you rat, you tried to kill me!" Katt growled.

"Yes, and if you'd only complied nicely, you wouldn't have inconvenienced me," said the slimy man. "But you had to ruin a good show, didn't you, cat-girl? And you, Baba…you had to play hero, didn't you? I have a nice setup here. Violence for entertainment, a bloodshed for the twisted masses. Few ever realize that we are merely playing to the tune of our baser instincts, our _true_ instincts. And what happens when they do? They denounce it as sin. Preposterous! We _are_ violent people! We _love_ hurting each other!"

"What's he babbling about?" Katt asked Ryu. But the ranger did not answer. He was focusing on Angus. Was it just him, or did Angus' skin move? Ryu's hand drifted to his sword hilt.

Angus continued, "Inflicting pain…that's what it's all about. Even God wants that. My God wants it. So why not turn this whole messy business into a show?" Suddenly, the thin human named Angus burst open in a gory spiral, flesh flailing across the room. Ryu, Rand, and Katt were stunned by what they saw: a two-headed giant, all muscle and dark fur, all malice and hatred. It grabbed two clubs from a nearby weapon rack and slammed them on the ground in challenge.

"You won't leave here alive!" both of Angus' heads growled.

"What the hell is that thing?" Katt cried, ducking under a swinging club.

Rand batted down Angus's other club with his bare hands. "Who cares? Kill it before it kills you!"

Ryu slid under the monster's outstretched arm, giving him an open target—his belly. Ryu brought his sword across, only to find that the creature's leathery hide was thick enough to withstand the cut of steel. He was sent sailing across the room as Angus slapped him in the flank with a club. Ryu grunted, feeling a table collapse beneath him.

Katt jumped high into the air and slammed her staff into one of Angus' heads, but the other head snapped forward, trying to bite her; she had to abort her attack, else she would lose her hand to those snapping jaws.

"We can't even get near him!" Rand grunted, shattering one of the clubs with a thick-fisted punch. "That's one down."

Ryu knew they were in dire straits. Angus was strong, with a tough hide, making it next to impossible to wound him. _But every enemy has a weakness,_ he thought. He looked around…and saw the ceiling. _Every enemy has a weakness—even if you have to make it yourself._ Ryu stood, ignoring the burning feeling in his ribs, and shouted, "Rand, the ceiling! The ceiling!"

The Shell understood immediately. While Katt kept Angus busy, he went to the wall and started breaking it down with his fists. The office rumbled and the ceiling cracked. Suddenly, the whole of it collapsed on top of the monstrous beast, burying it under stone and plaster.

"Kill it! Now!" Ryu shouted, clambering over the rubble and hacking away at the helpless creature's heads, with Rand and Katt helping. When the beast was finally dead, the three fighters sat amidst the ruin, panting and exhausted.

"Whatever that thing was," Rand murmured tiredly, "I hope never to meet one again."

* * *

After the strange events of the day, Katt could think of only one way to deal with the accumulated shocks: get sodden, pissed-ass drunk. So, they headed to the pub. "Is this really wise?" Rand asked warily when they got there.

"Of course not!" the feisty Woren exclaimed gaily, taking a seat at an empty table. "But, see, that's whole point of it. So come on! The drinks are all on Ryu anyway."

"Me?" the ranger said. "Why?"

"Because you have the dirt money from Angus," Katt replied.

"Actually, Rand spent all of that on an antidote you didn't drink," Ryu said.

Katt's head dropped despairingly. "Oh. So you're broke too, huh?"

"I'm afraid we all are," said Rand. "The money I won from your fight with Baba went to buy the antidotes as well. We've only got a few coins to our name."

"From riches to rags," Katt grumbled. That was not the only thing that grumbled. Her stomach roared, making her blush. "Oops."

Ryu silently took out some dried fruit from his backpack and tossed it to her.

Katt looked at the rations curiously. "What's this?"

"Food," Ryu answered.

"You're kidding. I'm a cat. I'm a carnivore, remember?"

Rand guffawed. "No, you're just a picky eater."

Before Katt could snarl off a tart reply, Ryu cut in, "If it's meat you want, we can hunt something up. I was planning on heading out of town anyway."

"So soon after you've arrived?" Katt asked, nibbling at the fruit despite her earlier complaints.

"I only stopped here because I thought someone I was looking for would be here," Ryu explained. "A blue-haired girl with bat wings. She got a friend of mine in trouble. I was hoping to catch her. But there doesn't seem to be any sign of her."

"A girl with wings, huh?" Katt murmured, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Sorry, can't help you there."

Ryu sighed. "Didn't think you could. It's not like you can forget a girl with bat wings."

"So, where will you go now?" Rand asked.

"I don't know. I'll probably head north. Maybe pass through Windia and Capitan to the west. I understand that Capitan has a small, but brisk, black market. Maybe the thief will show up there."

The Shell raised a skeptical eyebrow. "That's a long shot, Ryu."

The ranger sighed. "I know. But I don't have a single lead." Ryu looked up suddenly. "By the way, now that we've thoroughly trashed the Coliseum, having dropped a chunk of ceiling into it, where will you and Katt go?"

Rand leaned on his arms and sighed as well. "Now that you mention it, Katt and I are now effectively homeless."

"If you need a roof over your heads," Ryu said, "then I think I can help you. A friend of mine's living to the west of here. You can stay with him. He'll probably want the company."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Ryu," said Rand. Katt purred her agreement.

The ranger shrugged. "Don't mention it. After all, I was the one who told you how to wreck your home." Ryu smiled. "Ironically enough, the last time I was there, my friend's hideout was about to collapse in on itself, too."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," said Bow as he and Ryu rested in the branches of a tree overlooking the ruins. "You traveled all the way to Corsair, became a gladiator to earn some cash, and ended up fighting a possessed arena manager. _And_ you got to travel back here with a cute cat-girl? My good buddy, there might be some hope for you yet!"

"Figures you'd focus on Katt," Ryu said dryly. He sat one branch below Bow, whittling away at a piece of wood with a stout knife. "She's a good fighter," he said absently.

"She's cute," Bow added.

Ryu ignored him. "Anyway, I haven't found the thief yet." He shaped the wood a bit more, notching it at one end. "And I'm not even sure where to go from here. We came back because Katt and Rand needed a place to stay."

"Well, the company's appreciated," Bow said idly. "And with someone as big as Rand around, Niro and I will be able to fix up the house. Make it livable. Turns out Niro did some carpentry in his day, so he knows what he's doing. He's full of stories, that weird old man is."

"Glad to know you hit it off," Ryu said, taking off another layer of wood.

"So…no idea where the thief went?" Bow said.

"Nope." There was the sound of knife on wood.

"You're not giving up, are you?" the Grass Runner asked softly.

"Nope." Wood chips flew.

Bow smiled, even though Ryu could not see it. "That's good to hear. Wake me up when you've caught her, okay, buddy?"

"Yup." The knife kept on whittling.

* * *

Bow was helping Ryu pack his backpack. "You really think that you'll find anything back in Hometown?"

"Not really," admitted Ryu, "but I'll post a bounty out on her. The Ranger's Guild will probably put someone on the job. That ought to make finding her easier."

"That's a good idea," said Bow. "Wish I thought of it."

Ryu smiled. "Just sit tight, Bow. You'll be off the hook in no time."

"You sure you want to go traveling with the Woren?" Bow asked suddenly.

"What's wrong with Katt?"

"Well, she's nice to look at, but she isn't the sharpest knife in the box, if you know what I mean. And she looks pretty hotheaded. Big difference from Rand; he's got more brains on his shoulders than most people I know. His head's screwed on right, so the saying goes."

Ryu shrugged. "Well, since Rand's offered to help you and Niro fix the place up, it's only right that Katt helps you out the best way she knows how—by being an adventurer."

"Matching the case to the talent," noted Bow. "You're turning into Elder Madison."

Ryu grinned. "Soon, I'll be getting bald and crotchety, too." He slung his bag over his shoulder and clasped his friend's wrist. "I'll be back soon, Bow."

"You better," the Grass Runnersaid with a wide smile. "I'm getting bored back here."

* * *

"This looks like a good spot to make camp," Ryu said, setting down his bag and unfurling a bedroll. The moon was shining like a silver coin, basking the grasslands in its soft radiance. Hometown was less than a day's walk away.

"Good thing there's a stream here," Katt commented. "My fur's all matted."

"If you need to bathe, I'll go hunt up some dinner," Ryu offered, already stringing a bow.

When he left, Katt proceeded to strip. The water was cool, but not chillingly so. It was perfect to wash away the grime of the day's travel. Katt found herself reflecting on her new companion's behavior. She did not travel with others often, but when she did, she knew that her face and physique often earned the attention of the amorous. It was a reaction she expected, but Ryu was not playing by those rules. It was not so much that he was uninterested…just that he had a degree of self-control that was simply mind-boggling.

To put it simply, Katt had never met anyone who could be as stony as Ryu Bateson.

Still, it was nice to have someone like that around. _It's why I hang around Rand, after all,_ she thought. _Rand and Ryu both act real mature. I guess I just want someone like that around so I don't have to worry about being mature myself. So I can be me._

It did not hurt that Ryu was nice to look at, either. _Wonder where that blue hair came from, though._

Katt finished her bath and threw on her clothes just in time to see Ryu return to camp, a deer across his shoulders, already gutted. "Those cuts are pretty precise," she noted expertly. "You must spend a lot of time outdoors."

Ryu nodded silently, setting the door down and drawing a long knife. He went about carving the meat methodically, with quick strokes born of experience. Katt was impressed with his handiwork. A while later, they sat before a fire of roast venison. Katt chewed on the meat with relish, her ears twitching merrily. "It's a bit tough," she commented. "You're a better hunter than cook."

Ryu just ate quietly.

_Stony indeed,_ Katt thought. "You know, it's less weird if you actually said something once in a while."

The ranger just continued to eat in silence. The Woren sighed in defeat. She made a face as she worked over a piece of venison. "Puts up a fight," she murmured, gnawing hard. "You really should work on your culinary skills. Next time, I'll do the cooking, all right?"

"Be my guest."

Katt affected surprise. "By the stars, the stone speaks!" When Ryu arched an eyebrow at her, she laughed. "Come on, loosen up, Ryu. You're as closed up as a clam. Why? I'm not _that_ bad for company, am I?"

"You're as talkative as Bow," Ryu said after a while.

"The two of you are real close," she observed. "Have you known each other long?"

"All our lives," he answered. "He showed me how to be a thief. I was never very good at it, but we've been stealing things until we became rangers."

"So from thief to mercenary. From mercenary to gladiator and back to mercenary," Katt summarized, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "Tell me more."

"Why do you want to know?" Ryu asked.

Katt shrugged her small shoulders. Her tail swept back and forth like an upside-down pendulum. "Just because I'm bored and I'm getting kind of tired of coming up with all of the conversation. So, what do you do for fun?"

Ryu looked at her guardedly and said simply, "Learn."

Her nose crinkled in confusion. "Like, as in reading a lot of books?" she stuck out her tongue. "That sounds kind of boring."

"I read books and look for people who can teach me new things."

"Like what?"

"Like a sword technique. Or a new unarmed style. Or how to disable a certain kind of trap. Or how to sneak up on an edgy deer. You can learn lots of things, if you take the time to do so. Not everything has to be learned from books."

"So I guess you must know a lot."

Ryu shrugged noncommittally. Then he said, "It's getting late. I'm going to sleep." He settled down on his bedroll.

Katt sighed. "Not much of a conversationalist, are you?" She kicked some dirt over the fire and dropped onto her own blankets.

But she was a restless sleeper, usually tossing and turning until she exhausted herself to slumber. She ended up staring up into the night sky, looking at the constellations above. "Hey, Ryu."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know any stories about the stars? Like how they were made or something? I mean, you said you read a lot of books. Maybe you learned something about them."

There was silence for a long moment, long enough for Katt to think that the ranger had fallen asleep. But then he said, "There's a constellation called Orion. Do you see it? Those three stars, the middle one being the largest and brightest. Those stars are supposed to be the belt of Orion, a great hunter. But he got turned into an animal and was killed by his lover, the goddess of the hunt. In her sadness, she had turned into a constellation, so she could always see him at night. It's a pretty tragic story."

"Sounds real sad," Katt said with a yawn. "Hey, Ryu? You know everything, don't you?"

The ranger mumbled back, "No, I just pay attention."

When Katt did not respond, Ryu turned to look at her. She was snoring softly. "Ah well," he muttered. "That just means I don't have to hear her prattle on anymore. Good night, kitty Katt."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Canon change again. I imply early on in this chapter that Hometown is a port city, even though it isn't in the game. There is a method to the madness, of course—why the hell would there be a mercenary company in a peaceful town like Hometown unless there was some source for excitement? Also, I wanted to develop the "laconic antihero" persona I had in mind for Ryu and contrast it with the "secretly nice guy" elements I've been hinting at. As you'll see,I made hima lot darker than thegame might indicate, which makes sense to me because of his rather shaky family history. I intend to have Ryu's defining character trait be"identity crisis," particularly because of his lack of familial influences.Side note: In this story, Nina is twenty and Mina is seventeen.

**Chapter Four: On Angel's Wings**

"So this is where you live, huh?" Katt said, looking around. "Nice place. Quiet. Kind of hard to believe that it's got a Ranger's Guild. I mean, it doesn't look like a lot happens around here."

"Hometown is a crossroads, Katt," Ryu explained, tacking a bounty notice for the thief on a bulletin board. "Most of the excitement comes from travelers trying to catch a boat to the west or merchant trains heading out to Corsair and Windia. There, that's the last of the flyers. Now all we have to do is wait for someone to hunt her down for us, or at least tell us where she is."

"Shouldn't you at least put a picture up?"

"She has bat wings," Ryu said by way of explanation. "She'll be pretty hard to miss. Are you getting hungry? It's almost lunchtime."

Katt rubbed her belly. "I _am_ getting a little hungry…."

"My apartment's near here. There should still be something in the icebox. Come on." Ryu led the way, but just as he turned the corner, he was blown back by a gale. "What in Eva's name?" Ryu and Katt hurried to the corner to see what was going on.

A slender girl with short blonde hair and dovelike wings of shimmering black faced off against a group of thugs wearing purple bandanas. "That's a Windian," Ryu noted.

"I've never seen one before," Katt said in awe. "Look at those wings!"

But Ryu was focusing on the thugs. He recognized the markings on their bandanas. _What's the Joker Gang doing this far west? _he wondered. _This is nowhere near their territory. The other gangs in the area won't stand for this, I'm sure. This Windian must be pretty important for the Jokers to risk a street war._

"I said leave me alone!" shouted the Windian girl. Bolts of lightning lanced from the sky and stabbed into the cobblestone street near the Jokers. They hopped back in fright. Surprisingly, the Windian looked apologetic. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean for it to be that big. Still, you better not come any closer, I'm warning you!"

"And we're warning you," growled back one of the Jokers, "you better do what the Boss wants you to do, or you won't see your little sister ever again!"

That set the Windian on fire. Her eyes narrowed and glowed with the power of sorcery. "What did you do with Mina?"

_Mina?_ Ryu wondered. _As in…no way._

"Come over to our hideout, Nina," said another Joker. "Come hang out with us. All you want. All night long. Heh, heh. Better do it, or bad things will happen to that cute sister of yours." With that, the thugs left. Ryu marked their passing with interest.

"That didn't sound too good," Katt murmured.

"It seems I have a bit of a vested interest in this," Ryu said dryly.

"Huh?"

"We're making a bit of a detour, Katt." Ryu walked over to the Windian, who was staring at the ground in despair, her small hands tightened into fists. She was trembling with rage. Had he been Bow, he would have said something comforting or at least debonair. But he was Ryu and he only knew how to be blunt with people. "You're Mina's sister? The Mina who has a pet pig?"

The Windian looked up in surprise. "Um, yes. How did—"

"Mina hired me to find Suzy when she ran away," Ryu explained. "I'm a ranger. Ryu Bateson. This is a friend, Katt Chuan."

"Hello," said Katt.

The Windian curtsied automatically, demonstrating her high bearing and aristocratic standing. "I am Nina Windia."

"Nina and Mina," Ryu muttered. "Very cute. To the point—if your sister's being held captive by the Joker Gang, then I'll help get her back."

"You'd do that?" Nina said elatedly. Then she mellowed and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because she's a former client," Ryu said casually. "It wouldn't do for the Ranger's Guild to lose its customers."

Suddenly, Katt laughed. Both the ranger and the Windian looked at her curiously. The Woren wiped tears from her eyes as she brought her mirth back to tolerable levels. "What he means to say," Katt explained, "is that he's just a nice guy. Heck, I've known you for only a few days, Ryu, and I can already tell when you're just pretending to be a street tough."

Ryu just ignored her teasing and turned to Nina. "The point is, Katt and I can help you. Do you want our help or not?"

Nina looked at him guardedly, as if trying to discern his motives for helping her. She stared into his eyes, azure irises staring into iridescent emeralds. Finally, she said, "I don't know why, but I want to trust you. All right. I accept any assistance you can give me. For Mina's sake."

"Then you're going to have to trust me," Ryu said in cold seriousness. "The Jokers are not to be trifled with. I've taken a few bounties against some prominent Jokers in the past, and I can tell you they're a tricky bunch who won't hold back. For all we know, your sister might already be dead and they're just saying they have her to draw you out. That's just the way they work."

Nina's face paled at the prospect. Katt noticed this and bopped Ryu on the head. "Don't upset people like that, Ryu!" she admonished. To Nina, she said, "I'm sure that Mina's all right. But you get Ryu's point, tactless as it is. We better move fast if we're going to save your sister."

"Then let's go already," Nina said through stiff lips.

* * *

The three pushed themselves hard to get to the Joker's hideout. At the punishing pace they set, they covered half the trip in only a day's march. By the time night fell, all three were exhausted. But Nina could not find it in her to sleep. Worry had taken residence in her soul and made her restless.

She sat on her bedroll, looking up into the dark sky, wondering how Mina was doing. _If those thugs hurt her…I'll…I'll…._ Nina curled up into a ball, couching her forehead against her knees. She never thought she could hate someone, but here she was, thinking about hurting not just one person but a whole group of them. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not notice someone walking up to her.

"We'll get her back," Ryu said quietly as he sat down on the grass next to Nina. The Windian turned her head to him, tears glimmering at the corners of her azure eyes.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Nina whispered. "Though the thought's welcome. Where's Katt?"

"Sleeping. That one can sleep anywhere as long as you tell her a story to put her to bed."

"I wish someone could tell me one," Nina murmured. "If only to take my mind off things. I'm so wound up with worry that I feel like I'm about to explode. I keep asking myself, 'what have they done to her?' 'Is she eating right?' 'Is she hurt anywhere?' And telling myself that I'm on the way doesn't make the worrying stop."

"Nor should it," Ryu said. He scratched his head. "I'm not very good at talking to people. I like work because I don't have to talk to people. But I think it's good that you keep worrying. It means that there's still hope. I don't know how to express it any other way. It's like…it's like if you can still think about the person as if they were still alive and well, then there's a chance they will be."

"That makes sense to me," Nina said with a quiet smile. "Thank you, Ryu."

The ranger smiled back. "If you still need a story to help you sleep, I know one that has nothing to do with gangsters. It does have something to do with losing little sisters, though. Is that all right?"

"Depends on if it has a happy ending," the Windian replied.

"Kind of does," said Ryu. He began, "Once upon a time, there was a little boy who lived with his kind father and curious little sister in a big church. One day, the curious little sister went into the mountains, like she always did, because she was curious. She said she could meet her mother, who died a long time ago, if she slept out in the mountains.

"The kind father was worried and so asked the little boy to help him find the little sister. They found her sleeping in the mountains, of course. The kind father and the little sister went back to the village head of the little boy, though.

"You see, the little sister told the little boy to sleep in the mountains so that he could meet his mother, too. But when he woke up, he couldn't find his father or sister anywhere, no matter how hard he looked."

Nina looked at him strangely. "That's not a very happy story."

Ryu shrugged. "Maybe not, but the happy part comes in what happened to the little boy. You see, he never stopped looking for them. He grew up, but he never forgot them. He might do other things with his life, but he would always hope they were still out there, waiting for him. So he keeps looking, even if he can only find them in his dreams."

"Not the nicest story I've ever heard," Nina said quietly, "but it's very allegorical. And very beautiful. I'll keep hoping, then." She smiled. "Katt was right. You are a nice person." She settled down to sleep. "Thank you and good night, Ryu."

"Good night, Nina."

* * *

Ryu shoved a Joker into the wall, gripping him by the collar and holding him up with one arm. "All right, scumbucket," the ranger growled in low, menacing tones, "you just saw me, the Woren, and the Windian take out about a score of your buddies in less than three seconds. You're lucky we didn't kill them outright. Believe me, at the speed I was moving, it was _real_ hard not to cut you. So if you don't want me to make any mistakes while I'm swinging a big meat cleaver around, you're going to tell me where Mina Windia is being held. Understand?"

Katt and Nina watched the spectacle with open mouths. "Is he…is he like this often?" Nina asked.

The Woren shrugged. "I've only known him for about a week. But I didn't think he could look that scary. He's like a Biruburu."

Both girls were having a difficult time measuring up the ranger who was able to tell them stories to the frightening man threatening a hapless Joker.

Not that Ryu noticed. He was busy interrogating the thug in his hands. "She's with the Boss now, is she?" he said, repeating the Joker's confession. "How many bodyguards?"

"Six," the thug squealed.

"Hope they aren't friends of yours," Ryu growled. "Because they won't be around for very long." Then the ranger slugged the Joker across the head, knocking him unconscious.

"Ryu," Nina said, reaching out to touch him on the shoulder. "We're not just going to go and slaughter people, are we?" she asked nervously. "I mean…I know it's for Mina's sake…but…."

"We haven't killed anyone yet, have we?" Ryu asked pointedly, gesturing to the dozens of battered—but breathing—Jokers in the hallway.

"But you said—"

"We're dealing with crooks and murderers, Nina," Ryu said coldly. "We're dealing with the scum of the earth, the dregs of society. You can't afford to be nice. I don't know what it's like in whatever aristocratic neighborhood you and Mina were raised in, but down here in the gutter, threats and bullying get you as far as you can throw your weight around."

"But that makes you no better than these thugs!" the Windian protested.

The ranger shrugged. "Not everyone can afford the luxury of your high-minded ideals." Ryu looked over at Katt, who was also eyeing him warily. "Katt? Do you have anything to add?"

"Just that I'm disappointed in you," the Woren said. "I'm a gutter girl, too…but at least I draw a line and don't step over it. Looks like you never bothered to draw one."

Ryu winced at that barb. "We don't have time for this," he said stonily. "Mina's with the Joker Boss. That should be our concern, not bantering about ethics."

The three made their way deeper into the Joker hideout in silence, none willing to continue the conversation.

* * *

When they reached the Boss' throne room, they found the Jokers waiting for them. Six thugs stood around their leader. The Boss was a repulsively huge man, all slob with layer upon layer of fat rolling along his round body. Mina knelt beside him. An iron chain connected the Boss' thick ankle to a leather collar around the Windian's neck.

At the sight of this humiliation, Nina clenched her fists and let energy crackle between them. Her teeth ground hard.

"Joker!" she growled fiercely, showing an iron-shod determination her normally gentle nature belied. "Let my sister go _now_!"

Mina looked up at the sound of her voice. "Sister!" she cried gratefully. She was quickly silenced by a sharp tug from the Joker.

"Oh, that guy's going to get it," Katt promised in a chilling tone. Her claws tightened around her staff meaningfully. "Hey, fatty, try that one more time and you and your goons are only going to leave here with a doctor."

"Bold threats, kitten," the Joker rumbled through thick lips. "But as you can see, the chick is unharmed. It's the dove I want. Well, Nina? What say you? Will you join me as my aide and consort? Choose wisely—Mina's life is at stake."

"You're a twisted monster," Nina spat back. "You threaten an innocent girl. I'd never join sides with your ilk, you knave. I'm taking Mina back right now!" She stepped forward, eyes aglow and hands sparking with magic. Nina raised her hands and summoned lightning and wind, but the Joker looked unperturbed as the balls of crackling power danced toward him. Blue-white arcs of lightning exploded around the fat human, but when the dust settled, Joker was still sitting there, laughing maniacally.

"Impossible," Nina murmured in shock. "That was my most powerful spell…."

Ryu narrowed his green eyes at Joker. _Something's very wrong,_ he thought. _It's like…it's something inhuman. That smell…sulfur…it's like…like Angus._ Aloud, he warned, "This man's possessed by a demon. He isn't human."

"You mean like Angus?" Katt asked, eyes widening. She regarded Joker again, this time warily rather than contemptuously. "I can't believe something like him is a demon."

Nina looked at them in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"In Corsair, we fought a Coliseum manager who had been possessed by the spirit of a demon," Ryu explained briefly. "He could change into a monster and became almost impervious to normal attacks. Back then, I smelled sulfur around the manager, but I thought it was just his smoking pipe. Now I see that it's the smell of the demon inside."

He drew his sword and moved toward Joker. The slob just looked at him with an amused, languid expression. "You might as well show us what you really look like," Ryu said calmly. "I already know that you're not human."

For once, Joker looked genuinely surprised and off-guard. Ryu continued, "Unless you release Mina right now, we're going to send you to meet Angus…in pieces."

Joker's eyes went livid and narrowed dangerously. "I had heard from some associates that he had been killed by adventurers. Who would have thought it was a skinny punk like you." Joker snapped his fingers; the six thugs drew steel. "I haven't time to mess with your kind," the slob grunted. "From all I hear, you only beat Angus because he was stupid enough to get buried under a roof. That won't happen in a cave like this, so I don't have anything to fear from you." To the thugs he said, "Gentlemen, kill him."

The thugs rushed the ranger, who went on the defensive. "Katt, Nina! Take him!" Ryu shouted over the clash of metal.

The girls looked at him worriedly, but when they saw him holding his own against the thugs, they unhesitatingly went on the offensive. Nina flew over in front of Joker, who held Mina in a puffy hand. The girl struggled under that grip. The black-winged Windian narrowed her eyes. "I said let her go, Joker," she said with merciless threat in her voice. "I won't say it again."

"You've just made a big mistake, Nina," Joker retorted.

Suddenly, Katt charged and slapped him across the face with the butt of her staff. "Shut that trap of yours, fatty!" Katt's blow was stronger than she thought, for it tore off a part of Joker's face. Flesh peeled away, revealing purple leather underneath.

"The blue-haired punk said he wanted me to show my true form," Joker rumbled in a voice no longer human. Skin flaked away and his massive body grew to an even more prodigious size. "Very well! Tremble in fear, mortals! God gives me my strength!" Gone was the fat slob and in its place was a monstrous demon. If not for the rows of sharp teeth in its wide mouth, it would have looked like a purple ball.

"My God," Nina breathed in horrified awe. She covered her mouth and nose in revulsion. "It smells like sulfur! Augh!"

"It's even uglier than Angus," Katt noted. "But at least it's big enough to hit!"

"Nina!" Mina cried, "Save me!"

At the sound of the girl's voice, Nina went into motion. She moved her hands through the patterns of a spell, hurling lightning and flame at the rotund monster. The barrage did not even faze it.

"Silly child," Joker rumbled. "I am God's servant! You shan't defeat me so easily!" It spat something from it's gut, something long and sticky—it's tongue. The appendage slapped Nina across the head, knocking her to the ground. The Windian let out a pained cry.

Katt quickly moved protectively in front of her, batting aside the whip-like tongue with her staff. "Get up, Nina!" she said, charging straight at the demon. She put all her strength into her attack, but did little more than break away a few chips of leather. "Why are these things built like brick houses?" she wondered in annoyance. A grunt escaped her lips as Joker slammed its thick body into her, sending her flying back.

"We're not making much progress," Nina said, wiping blood from a cut on her forehead. "It shrugs off our strongest blows."

Katt licked red stains off her lips. "Too bad we don't have a ceiling to drop on this guy," she bemoaned.

Nina looked up to the roof of the cavern. "Perhaps not," she said with a grim smile, "but I think I can find a good substitute. Katt, could you—"

"Distract him?" the Woren said with a grin. "Yeah, no problem. Seems I'm getting that job the more we fight these things." Katt rushed back into the melee with a wild battle cry.

While the Woren kept Joker busy, Nina aimed at the object she saw up above—a stalactite. It would take all of her energy to make her plan work, but she was sure it would end the fight quickly. It was their only chance for victory, in any case. A bolt of lightning shot out of her fingers and sliced through the base of the stalactite. It dropped several feet before she could catch it with magical winds. She moved her hands, manipulating the currents of wind and telekinesis. The stalactite oriented itself horizontally and aimed at Joker's heart.

"Katt!" Nina shouted. "Get down!" As the Woren ducked, the Windian launched her makeshift lance. The stone weapon pierced Joker straight through, impaling him fully and nailing him to the wall. The creature thrashed and wailed in its death throes, but finally expired with a final spattering of black ichor.

Katt went to Mina, grabbed the collar, and ripped it apart with strong claws. The Windian girl rushed over to her older sister, embracing the black-winged mage tightly. "You're all right now, Mina," Nina whispered soothingly, her cold determination vanishing under Mina's presence. Gone was the fierce magus; now Nina was a nurturing and caring sibling. "It's okay. It's okay."

"I'm glad you came to save me, Nina," the younger girl mumbled into the elder's dress. "I was so scared, but I knew you'd save me somehow. I never believed otherwise, not even for a moment."

Katt smiled at the tender reunion. Then her ears perked as a thought struck her. "Where's Ryu?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about me," the ranger said, walking up to her. There were new slash marks through his jerkin and cuts covered his arms and face, but he was otherwise unharmed. "It looks like you two handled things here without any problems."

Katt jerked a thumb at Joker's ruined corpse. "He wasn't as tough as Angus," she said nonchalantly, puffing out her chest.

"I'm still concerned that we've fought two of these things in only a few days," Ryu murmured, kneeling by the corpse and studying it with the trained eye of a detective. "And they were based relatively close to each other—this mountain range and Corsair. I can't help but wonder if there are demons in the other cities, too."

The Woren frowned. "That's not a good thought," she said at last.

"No, but he brings up a good point," Nina said, still holding on to Mina. "I don't know what happened in Corsair, but I agree: the fact that you fought two of these demons in such close proximity to each other is a very bad sign. Not only that, Joker matches no known description of any recorded monster. Certainly, no monster in these regions has magical resistance like he had."

"Now that I think about it, Angus wasn't like anything I'd ever encountered before, either," Ryu said thoughtfully. "And if his thick hide was any indication, he was magic resistant as well."

The adventurers were silent for a long moment. Finally, Nina said, "A mystery for another day. Right now, I want to get Mina back home." She said the word 'home' with the slightest of hesitations, but Ryu did not miss it. He looked at her wonderingly, but decided that that, too, was a mystery for another day.

Instead, he said, "Windia is a long walk. But if you want some company, Katt and I will be more than happy to escort you."

The Windian smiled ironically at him. "Don't want to lose any customers?"

He grinned back. "Of course not."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: We get to see more of Ryu's "super calm" attitude, only in a darker shade. Again, this is to develop Ryu's "identity crisis." The goal is to show that his inability to function is regular society is due to an inability to connect on the same emotional level as others. His friendship with Bow is the only real exception to this. This alsoexplains why he's good with children's stories (like with Katt and the starsand with Nina back in Chapter 4)Also, a little non-canon peek into Ryu's past. 

Translational note: Otousan means father. Okasan means mother. "Chan" is an honorific denoting close familiarity, such as between siblings or parents with their offspring. Generally, it refers to a young person.

Chapter Five: Innocence Lost 

The walk to Windia was long and seasoned travelers knew that even the highway leading from Corsair to the homeland of the Wing Clan was fraught with deadly monsters and bandits. But Ryu knew his way through the wilderness. Under his steady, quiet leadership, the small band of adventurers avoided the hunting trails of the fiercer beasts and the territories of brigands and highwaymen.

It was his ever-present alertness and competence that sparked Mina's interest. And whenever something sparked her interest, it inevitably opened her mouth. "I didn't think he was this good at being a ranger," she said to her elder sister. "I thought whoever would be sent to bring Suzy back would just be a novice. But he's really good at what he does, isn't he?"

"Yes," Nina nodded, watching Ryu's retreating back as he and Katt scouted ahead for danger. "He is a caliber above and beyond what you'd expect for someone his age. Can you believe he's only twenty-one?"

"He acts like he's thirty," Mina giggled. "He's so quiet and mature. And brave." She gave Nina a sly look. "And he's pretty handsome, too. Isn't he, Nina?"

The elder Windian playfully bopped the younger on the head, eliciting a startled yelp. "You're still a little scamp, aren't you, Mina? Just what are you implying, anyway, huh?" Nina clicked her tongue. "It's not like he and I are an item or anything. I barely even know him. In fact, I only met him yesterday."

"Well, you're no fun," Mina mumbled. "You never heard of love at first sight?"

Nina laughed. "That sort of thing doesn't exist, little sister. You've been reading too many romance novels. They'll waste your brain."

"And you're so much of a bookworm that you're wasting your love life," the younger Windian countered.

"I'll leave the hopeless romantic to you, then," Nina said. Suddenly, she smiled and touched her sister on the shoulder. "Seriously, it feels real good to be with you again, Mina. It's been too long."

Mina beamed merrily, exultantly. "It has. I'm glad I got to see you, Nina. Even if I caused you a bit of trouble doing so."

"Nothing's too much trouble for my baby sister."

Mina pouted. "I'm not a baby anymore, Nina!" She punched her sister playfully. "But if I'm going to be a baby, then you're an old hag!"

"Hag?" Nina repeated, affecting an affronted expression. "I? Hardly! I am in the prime of womanhood, my dear _baby_ sibling!"

"So you say," countered the younger girl, "but I'll bet Ryu doesn't like old women!"

"I don't like what?" came a calm voice. The girls jumped in surprise. A furious red blush stained across Nina's face when she saw Ryu and Katt walk up to them. They had finished their scouting earlier than expected.

Nina waved her hands, seemingly patting the air. "Uh, nothing!" she stammered in embarrassment. It did not help that Mina was grinning like an imp at her side.

Ryu blinked in confusion, but he did not say anything more about the matter. Instead, he said, "There's a swarm of Deathpedes nearby. I traveled around this area a few times in the past, and I've never known Deathpedes to cross the cliffs; the fact that they're on this side of the Windian Bridge means something very strange is happening."

"I suggested we should check it out," Katt said, "but I don't want to put Mina in any danger. She isn't a fighter or a mage like the rest of us."

"Are you saying I'm useless?" Mina practically growled.

Katt was about to say something mollifying, but Ryu beat her to it. "That isn't the point, Mina. We're supposed to protect you. Checking out a clutch of Deathpedes is hardly safe for even a veteran adventurer."

Katt's ears twitched in disappointment. "But they aren't _that_ tough."

Ryu just looked at her hard. "Do you want to be responsible for Mina getting hurt? We're not here on an outing, Katt. We're here to escort Mina back home."

The ranger pointed to a line of hills near the cliffs. "When I last passed through this region, there was a little village behind those hills. They're mostly hunters and make their living from tanning monster hides into armor and other goods. They do a good job of keeping their land clear of any unwanted beasts."

"Meaning that if we pass through there, we should be able to avoid the Deathpedes," Nina reasoned.

The travelers made their way to the hills without further ado. But when they arrived at the village, they found it in ruins. The houses had been smashed down and bodies lay scattered in the streets—many half-eaten. Ryu tore his cloak into small strips, handing them to the girls. He bound one strip over his face, blocking the stench of carrion; the girls followed suit.

"What could have done this?" Mina asked, eyes wide with horror and revulsion; she had never before seen death on such a large scale, and never this close.

Katt knelt by a corpse that had been eaten from the waist down. "These aren't teeth marks and I don't see any claw wounds," she announced.

"That's because animals didn't eat these people," Ryu said in his usual calm tone. He spoke as if the slaughter of a village was normal. When Katt looked to him for explanation, he pointed to the ruins of what used to be city hall. In the rubble were black plates made of some tough material.

"What is it?" Katt asked. She tapped one of the plates with a knuckle. "It's hard as a rock, but supple as leather."

"That's a chitin derivation," the ranger said. "This village was destroyed by Deathpedes."

The girls regarded the village with new eyes, looking in horrified wonder at the extent of the damage done by a clutch of the insectoid monsters. "But there weren't more than eight of them in that group we saw," Katt said softly.

"You've never seen an angry Deathpede, then," Ryu said simply. "With their size and strength, all they have to do is run straight through town. But I wonder what agitated them to attack a village. Deathpedes aren't aggressive creatures, despite their name. They're predators, not killers. Human settlements would pose too much of a threat to them."

Katt kicked idly at a piece of debris. "So much for a peaceful stroll across the countryside, eh, Ryu?"

"We should bury these people or at least build a pyre." Mina said suddenly. "We can't just let them rot out here. It…it wouldn't be right."

Ryu was silent. If he had his way, he would just leave the town as it was. _People die everyday,_ he thought. _Hell, Bow and I have killed more than our share of folks. Mother Nature takes care of the bodies in her own way._ But he did not voice his thoughts aloud.

He watched as Mina and her sister started dragging the bodies to an open space in the street. Katt joined them in the grisly work. Finally, Ryu decided to help—if only to get things over with. "I'll take care of the bodies," he offered. "You girls go gather some wood. Dry, if you can find it."

An hour later, when dark had fallen, the smell of charred flesh rose into the air with a column of black smoke. The travelers sat on a hill overlooking the ruins of the village and the pyre they had built. Mina still held the strip of cloth Ryu gave her to wear over her face. "I've…I've never seen so many…." she said quietly, unable to finish. The revulsion had taken permanent residence in her young face.

Nina sat beside her sister, holding small shoulders and resting her chin in Mina's hair. "You shouldn't have had to see this," she said softly. She tried to be strong for her sheltered sibling, but Nina could barely hide her own disgust at the slaughter.

Ryu watched the Windia sisters over his shoulder and sighed. He sat with his back to them, playing with a small stone, tossing it back and forth between his hands. _This isn't that big of a deal,_ he thought. _It's like they've never seen dead people before. But I guess they haven't. It's not like they spent ten years of their life training with adventurers, fighters, and mercenaries._ He tossed the stone down the hill and watched it tumble down the slope.

"What are you thinking about?" Katt asked, sitting beside him. She hugged her legs, feeling a bit cold in the evening breeze.

"I was wondering what it would have been like to grow up in a nice home like Nina and Mina," Ryu replied.

"What do you mean?"

Ryu looked over his shoulder at the sisters again. "Look at them, Katt. A dead village terrifies them. But Bow and I…. Do you remember the Siege of Antimodes?"

The Woren nodded. "Yeah. Antimodes was a city-state of Corsair. It tried to secede from the nation and caused a political uproar."

"It caused a war," Ryu said grimly. "It was a quick war, lasting only about half a year. But a lot of people died because the fighting was extremely fierce and often occurred in close quarters. Bow and I were mercenaries for the Corsairians. Nina and Mina want to lose their lunch over dead villagers killed by insects. Bow and I helped wipe out ten such villages for the sake of someone else's war."

Katt looked at him with an unreadable expression. A part of her wanted to pull back in revulsion at his words. Another part of her was astonished at his brutal frankness.

"You're a gladiator, Katt," Ryu went on. "You kill for money, glory, and sport. You know as I do that people dying isn't something new."

"Nina and Mina aren't like us, Ryu," Katt said. "It's not like they're gutter-born fighters. But just because they've never seen death close up before doesn't mean their emotions about it isn't right."

Ryu yawned and lay back on the grass and stared up into the dark sky. "I know that, but still…I guess I just can't understand why it bothers them so much. It's…never bothered me before."

Katt looked at him in concern. "Ryu…."

But the ranger had already fallen asleep.

_

* * *

I'm dreaming._

"Ryu? Ryu?"

_Otousan?_

"Ryu-chan, where are you? Oh! There you are, you little thing! Come here."

_Okasan…._

"Ryu-chan, come look at what otousan made for you. Do you like it?"

"I like it! Thank you, otousan! But…how do you make it spin like that?"

_The top…I almost forgot about it. I was five. I remember the top._

"Well, Ryu, you have to wind it up. See? Like this. And then you put it down and pull. See? Do you want to try?"

_I was never very good with it at first. My hands were really clumsy._

"Oh! It fell down! I can't get it to work, otousan!"

"Keep trying, Ryu. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Remember, practice makes perfect, Ryu-chan!"

_Otousan…okasan…how long has it been?_

* * *

When Ryu woke up, it was still an hour before dawn. The girls slept soundly in their bedrolls; Katt snored enough for all of them combined, even as she rolled left and right across her bedroll. Ryu stretched and stood up, intent on gathering some water for everyone to wash up in before the sun came up.

He had to pass through the ruins of the village to get to the communal well—another reason why he had decided to fetch the water himself. Katt seemed disappointed in him and Nina and Mina would probably feel uncomfortable amongst the houses of ghosts. But to him, it was just another walk.

_I dream about when I was still a child,_ he thought. _But I can't remember what it felt like back then. I see the memories, but I can't feel anything. Not sadness, not happiness. Back then, a dead man would have frightened me. But I'm just so used to it now._ He found the well beside the collapsed remains of what used to be a beautiful plaster house. He was drawing water when he noticed something polished and wooden beside the base of the well. Curious, he picked it up.

It was a child's top.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: As an avid player of many kinds of RPGs, including Dungeons and Dragons, I have to say Breath of Fire 2 had some…unusual architectural ideas. For one, Windia has this enormous bridge that led to a useless maze that deposits you directly in the castle. Now, from a Dungeon Master perspective, this is a really bad idea. That bridge just INVITES an invasion. Seriously. It leads right into the damn castle. So for this story, the Windian bridge leads into the city, not the castle. Because the castle idea is tactically stupid.

**Chapter Six: The City of Angels**

The journey from the ruined village to Windia went without further incident. Mina, with her usual exuberance, soon put the horrible tragedy behind her. But Nina knew that the sight would haunt her little sister for the rest of her life; the elder Windian could only hope that Mina would draw an important lesson from it.

But Ryu carried the past even as he put it behind him. The top he found had a place in his bags, hidden from anyone's eyes. But he always knew it was there. It gave him something to think about during the quiet hours of the evening, after the girls had gone to bed. Only in the night and only when he was alone did he dare to take out that top. Only then did he dare to wind it up and let it spin.

Katt went about their journey with her usual mien. She had neither the Windian sisters' innocence nor Ryu's inner demons to dampen her mood. Unfortunately, that meant the sojourn to Windia seemed infinitely longer for her.

"I'm so _bored_!" Katt wailed, practically shouting out her complaint.

"You needn't be so vocal about it," Nina said with barely-contained annoyance. "I think I preferred it when you just sulked."

Mina simply giggled at the Woren's antics. "You do have to admit, Nina, that all we've been doing for the past week and a half has been walking. Well, hovering in our case, but still…."

"You won't have to suffer for much longer," Ryu said with a teasing grin. "We're only half a day away from Windia." He pointed to the west, beyond the cliff edge overlooking the ocean. Across the strait were the windmill spires of the Wing Clan's ancestral home.

Mina breathed a sigh of relief at seeing her homeland…but Katt let out an even bigger one. "Thank Eva…we're almost there," the Woren let out in an exaggerated breath of fatigue.

Nina just rolled her eyes. Ryu chuckled. "I promise that as soon as we get there, we'll rent out the finest rooms at the inn, all right?" the ranger said.

"Oh, you won't need to do that," Mina said with a bright smile. "I'm sure Mother and Father will give you guest rooms."

"That's very nice of them," Katt said. "They must be rich people to have enough guest for all of us."

"They're the king and queen!"

Ryu and Katt stopped in their tracks and just looked at the younger Windian in shock. "Wait a minute," the ranger said, as soon as he got his mind around the idea that he had been traveling with royalty. "Wait a second here…so you're the princess of Windia…and your royal pet is a pig?"

Mina blinked. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Ryu muttered, still a bit dumbfounded. He looked at Nina, who seemed very apprehensive. "If your younger sister's a princess, then that makes you the heir-apparent," he said.

Nina nodded hesitantly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Katt asked. "I mean, if you'd told us you were a princes…."

"Would you have treated me any differently?" Nina cut in.

"Erm," the Woren stammered, "well, no. But still, it sounds like something you should tell your friends. And we are friends, right, Nina?"

The black-winged Windian nodded slowly. "I want to think of you as friends…but my lineage isn't exactly what you'd call…conventional. I mean…well, I'm not the kind of princess you think I am."

"That's for sure," Katt said with a lopsided grin. "I always thought noblewomen were spoiled and stuck up, with a rod up their backsides for good measure. Always dainty, quiet, and waiting to be rescued by some muscle-headed moron. You know, damsels in distress at all hours. You're definitely not any of the above."

Nina's warm smile touched her eyes. "I'm glad you think so highly of me, Katt."

"Hey, you saved our hides back when we were fighting Joker; I'm only telling the truth here."

"Ladies," Ryu interrupted, "while I'm glad to see that you're all getting along, it's starting to get dark. If we want to reach Windia by nightfall, we should keep marching."

Katt and Nina looked at him with sheepish grins, but the Woren voiced their shared thought, "Party-pooper. You're such a workaholic, Ryu."

* * *

"The Bridge of Winds," Nina said with a mixture of joy and heartache. "Ten years has been too long a time since I've seen its great expanse."

"I wish you could stay with us," Mina said, gripping her sister's hand gently. "These yearly visits…they're too few, Nina. I miss you so much."

Nina closed her eyes, shutting away the majestic spires, the white clouds, the smell of dove's feathers that clung in the air…the memories of home. "How are Father and Mother?"

The younger sister's wide eyes saddened. "It's like they're carrying some great weight. I'm sure it has something to do with you, even if I don't really understand what's going on."

_I'm afraid I understand all too well,_ the elder Windian thought glumly. Aloud, she said, "Well, perhaps understanding will come later, sister. For now, let's go see our parents." But in her heart, Nina steeled herself for what was to come. And she knew all too well what was to come.

The Windians led the way into the city proper. Katt, having never visited a city as large as this before, took everything in with wide-eyed fascination, her fatigue suddenly forgotten. Indeed, she seemed rejuvenated by the new sights, sounds, and smells—especially the sight of hundreds of men and women flying high in the sky like angels.

Ryu, though, maintained a steady state of alertness. He noted what Katt did not, noted those elements that seemed to make graceful Nina's shoulders sag.

He saw the dark looks thrown at her. He saw the wariness in the eyes of merchants. He saw the fear in the eyes of the children.

_Why are they afraid of Nina?_ he wondered. _There is a story here that isn't being told, I'm sure._

The party marched up the long staircase leading to the castle gates—Nina and Mina's home. The guards halted them, giving Nina's black wings a cold, stony glare.

"State your name and business," one of them said gruffly.

Mina, seemingly oblivious to the dark tone, stepped forward. "Hello, Marcus! These fine people helped my sister escort me home."

The guard, Marcus, blinked in surprise. "Princess Mina! You're safe! We were all so worried." He tapped the other guard on the shoulder. "Go get the King and Queen; tell them the Princess has returned." The other guard nodded and headed inside.

A few moments later, a stately couple came out. With their strong presence, graceful movements, and high chins, they could only be the royal family. Katt and Ryu instinctively bent to one knee in deference to the monarchs. Nina did the same after a second's hesitation. That made Ryu raise an eyebrow in confusion.

_Why would a princess do that?_ he thought.

"Thank you, brave adventurers, for bringing our daughter back safely," said the queen, her tone frosty and precise—and Ryu noted as well the singular use of "daughter." "You will be well rewarded for your heroic efforts."

"No reward is necessary, Your Majesty," Nina said in a voice that was equally chill. "As a citizen of this great nation, it was my privilege to aid the royal family to the best of my ability."

"Nina?" Mina said, confused. She looked to her sister and then back to her parents. "Why is she talking like that, Mother? Aren't you going to welcome Nina back?"

"Welcome back who, dear?" said the King.

"My sister!"

Ryu watched the exchange carefully and paid close attention to Nina's expression. Thus, he saw the stiffness in her soft face when the Queen spoke her next words, "Mina, you have no sister."

With that, the royal family retreated into the castle, taking Mina with them. The guards sealed the gates behind them. Nina rose with difficulty, her normally graceful movements rigid and jerky. She looked like she was about to cry.

_I didn't cry back then. I won't cry now,_ she reprimanded herself. _I knew this would happen. I was expecting it. Don't cry, Nina. Don't cry, damn it!_

But her aching heart betrayed her. Hot tears ran down her cheeks. She wiped them away contemptuously. _Stop crying! You're a big girl now. You've been on your own all this time and you didn't cry about it. Stop crying…huh?_

Ryu offered a square cloth to her. As always, he was silent. But there was something in his emerald eyes—a sadness, an old loneliness, that told Nina he knew exactly what she was going through.

She took the cloth and wiped away the tears. "S-sorry," she burbled weakly. "I-I don't u-usually have breakdowns l-like this. S-sorry."

"If you want to talk about it," Katt said with infinite pity and empathy, "we're here to listen." The Woren took Nina's elbows in a friendly manner, giving them an inviting squeeze. She flashed the Windian a warm smile. "We're your friends, after all."

Nina sniffed a few times, breathing slowly to bring her back to calmness. The tears stopped, the sobs receded. And she was ready to begin her tale. "You might have noticed that my wings are black, while other Windians have white ones. That's really the long and short of it, actually. There's a legend that says 'the one with black wings will bring disaster.' When my parents realized I was the one mentioned in the prophecy, they…they exiled me."

"Your own parents?" Katt was shocked.

Nina shook her head. "You misunderstand. They didn't do it out of cruelty. They did it to protect me from those who'd try to kill me because of the prophecy. They sent me to boarding schools in other countries, where the legend had never been heard of before. My sister would come visit me every year, just to keep in touch…but my parents…."

Nina shook her head again, sadly this time. "I don't think they ever got over their guilt for doing what they had to do. They couldn't face me, I guess. You see, they never visited me once. This is the first time I've seen them in the ten years since my exile. I want to think that's the reason, because the alternative is far worse."

"And what's that?" Katt asked quietly.

The young Windian's eyes misted over, on the verge of tears again. "That…that t-they stopped…l-loving me."

The Woren wrapped her arms around the winged woman, holding her tightly. "I'm sure that isn't the case. There's no way a parent could stop loving their child."

"I hope so," Nina murmured.

"And for what it's worth," Katt continued in brighter tones, "I think your wings are beautiful. Right, Ryu?"

The taciturn ranger simply nodded. Nina smiled at them both. "Thank you," she said softly. "I…I needed to get that off my chest."

"All right then!" Katt said loudly, bounding up and punching her fist into the air. "So Mina's safe and sound. I guess that means we have to help Ryu out now, right? Off to more adventure—this time, to catch that thief and clear Bow's name. Right, Ryu?"

_That Katt,_ Nina thought to herself with a grin, _I don't think anything could dampen her spirits. I feel better just by being around her._ She looked at Ryu, who was looking right back at her with appraisal. Involuntarily, Nina blushed under his scrutiny. _He's so…I don't know. For a second, I thought he and I connected…he understood what I was going through, even though he didn't say a word. But now I can't read him at all._

The ranger broke her thoughts when he said, "Nina, this journey Katt and I are undertaking doesn't concern you. If you want, you don't have to come with us. I wouldn't want to put you in any danger, or to have to make Mina worry."

Nina shook her head. "No, you two have been very supportive and you saved me and my sister. That is a debt I will be glad to pay. Let me help you in return, Ryu." _He is really a strange one, this Ryu Bateson. He seems so distant all the time…but he has a caring side, too. He really is strange._

Nina regarded them all: the energetic Woren, the laconic ranger, the exiled princess. _But then again,_ she mused, _we're a strange group as it is._ She smiled._ I couldn't have made better friends._


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Enter Sten, a character with my favorite backstory but with also the crappiest stats in the game. Of all the characters, he's really the only one who won't get a massive makeover. I like him just the way he is…except for his horrible fighting stats. I decided to make the Highlanders Scottish because…well…yeah. Highlander. There can be only one. 

Translation Notes: Oniisan means older brother; Yua uses –niisan as an honorific. Imoutousan is little sister. Baka means idiot or stupid. Here, a younger Ryu combines the two terms to mean "stupid sister."

**Chapter Seven: New Faces, Old Faces**

"It doesn't look like you'll be making a lot of friends here," Katt noted darkly as she glanced at the bustle around her. The Windians in the street gave the adventurers a very wide berth. Mothers sheltered their children, fathers stood protectively in front of their families, guards never took their gazes off them. Katt's fur ruffled angrily.

She turned to Nina, who was taking it all in stride, her face a composed—almost icy—block of ivory. "You don't deserve this," the Woren said with vindication.

Nina just smiled quietly, stiffly, uneasily. "It's all right," she said through that forced smile, "I'll be all right. I'm…used to this."

Ryu, who had followed in silence until now, finally spoke. "We should camp outside town tonight." His gaze met those of a guard who was approaching them. There was dark intent written in the soldier's purposeful strides—an intent that Ryu quickly quashed with an angry flash of his emerald eyes; the soldier backed off meekly. The ranger sighed tiredly. "There won't be an inn around who'd take us in, anyway."

Nina looked down shamefacedly. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "It's my fault."

Suddenly, Katt bopped her on the head. "Don't you start talking like that!" she chastised. "We're your friends, so it doesn't really matter. From all I've heard, Bow's given Ryu much more trouble than simply getting kicked out of town. Ne, Ryu?"

"Bow could do worse than you could ever manage," the ranger agreed.

"Besides," continued the exuberant Woren, "I happen to like the outdoors. As long as we aren't walking to Hell and back like we've doing for the past week and a half," she added with affected vitriol. Her antics made Nina laugh. Katt playfully punched the Windian on the shoulder. "Buck up, Nina. This ain't a problem at all."

Nina's smile was wide and genuine. "Thank you, both of you."

With that, the adventurers left the city proper and set up camp a few miles beyond the walls. After the day's shocks concerning Nina's family, it was decided that a small break was in order. Ryu, of all people, was the one who suggested it.

"I thought workaholics didn't take breaks," Katt said snidely. Ryu cloaked himself in his customary silence, which only earned him a frustrated glare from the Woren. "You could at least make a comeback," she grunted. _Why is he always so stony?_ she wondered. _You'd think a guy traveling with two beautiful girls would be more excited about things. Hmph._

It was Katt's turn to hunt and Nina's to cook. Ryu busied himself about camp gathering firewood and securing fresh drinking water from a creek. Day passed into twilight and further on into night. Cooking fires belched a thin column of white smoke into the air. The smell of roasted rabbit was tantalizing.

It was that aroma that absorbed the three adventurer's attention, hungry as they were. It was that aroma that also drew a fourth visitor. Wide, slanted eyes peered from the shadows. A pink tongue licked large lips. This one had not eaten in a while; hunger gnawed at him like an itch he could not scratch.

But this was mostly lost on the adventurers sitting around the campfire, tucking into their meal. Katt devoured three rabbits—loudly. Nina, more dainty in her eating habits, could only watch in wide-eyed wonder at the Woren's impressive appetite. "Eh…wow," the Windian mumbled in fascination. "That's…a lot of food."

"Eating a lot—" Katt began, stopping to swallow, "is a sign—" here, she stuffed a thigh into her eager jowls, "of being healthy!" she finished upon another large swallow.

"It must be," Nina agreed. She had barely eaten half a rabbit and was already stuffed. She set the remaining meat on a plate. It would be dried later and carried as a jerky. Not as tasty, but it lasted longer. _Ryu taught me that,_ Nina thought. _He knows so much about things like this._ She involuntarily looked at the laconic ranger, who had been silent throughout the meal. _He's always so quiet,_ she mused. _I wonder what he thinks about when he's quiet?_

Ryu was staring into the fire, picking at his teeth with a sharp piece of wood too. He, too, had a considerable appetite, but he was subtler than Katt. Two neat stacks of bones—cleaned of meat—sat on a plate by his leg. _Something's behind us,_ the ranger thought, his senses ever alert and ever observant. He had felt the presence of an uninvited guest long before. _Bandits, perhaps? No, this one must be alone—or else why stay in the shadows? This one will probably strike once we are asleep. It is safest that way._

Katt belched loudly, interrupting his thoughts. "So, who wants first watch?" she asked gaily.

"No watches," Ryu said to the surprise of the girls. _This stranger wishes to steal something from us,_ he reasoned, _but setting up a watch will merely frighten him away._ Aloud, he said, "We are still near Windia. Border patrols will ensure our safety. For now, let's all get some rest." The reasoning was valid, of course, and Ryu hoped that the uninvited guest would fall for it.

The adventurers went to their bedrolls. Katt was soon snoring, tumbling and tossing around on her blankets. Nina slept more soundly, her breathing soft and rhythmic. Ryu, on the other hand, simply closed his eyes—but kept his other senses tuned to the slightest disturbance. _An hour, maybe more,_ he estimated. _Then he will come out._ Sure enough, after an hour's passing, Ryu heard the padding of soft footsteps.

The ranger moved like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he was on his feet and charging at a shadowy figure crouching over Nina's bags. Ryu leaped on top of him, dragging the stranger to the ground.

The ranger shifted his weight, slipped an arm under his opponent's leading leg, and turned. The stranger tasted dirt as his face was ground into the grass. Ryu bent over him, speaking harshly into his ear, "Give up now. You're completely at my mercy."

By this time, the girls had been wakened by the commotion. "What the?" Katt grunted, wiping sleep from her eyes. "Ryu? What's going on?"

"A thief," the ranger replied stonily, pushing the stranger's face further into the ground. To him, he said, "I'm going to let you up, but don't think for a second you can get away. The Woren's good with that staff. The Windian's good with magic." Ryu shifted his weight again; the stranger let out a cry as something important popped. "And I'm good at breaking people in two."

Nina thought the threats had gone far enough. "That's enough, Ryu! Let him go. You don't need to scare him to death." She let out an audible sigh of relief when the ranger released his captive. _Ryu…how can he be understanding at one moment and a completely different—completely frightening—person the next?_

Nina walked up to the stranger and was startled when she saw the wide nose, the flat cheek structure, the spindly build, and the long hair. "You're a Highlander!" she exclaimed, recognizing him as a member of the monkey-like race of the distant kingdom of Highfort.

"Aye, lass," he grunted. "I be that." His long fingers wrapped around his wrist, twisted in the scuffle with Ryu. "Ye needn't 'ave been so rough, lad. I'd 'ave gone quietly with just a knife to me throat." The ranger said nothing in reply.

Suddenly, the Highlander smiled nastily. "By the way, lad. Ye should cover yer far leg better next time ye try to grapple tha' likes o' me." He opened a hand, revealing a slender—but wickedly sharp—knife.

Again, the ranger remained silent, but his eyes held respect. _In the lock I had on him, he had ample opportunity to slash the tendons in my ankle_, Ryu realized._ This one is very dangerous._

"What's a Highlander doing this far to the north?" Katt asked suspiciously. "And for that matter, why were you trying to steal from us?"

The Highlander shrugged—Ryu noticed that he no longer held the knife, had somehow slipped it away without anyone seeing it. "I like to travel, lass. I just happened to stumble hereabouts. As for tha' why, well, I'm hungry."

"If it's food you wanted," Nina said, "then you should have just asked." She dug up some of the jerky from her bags and handed it to him. The Highlander bowed graciously and tore into the meat with relish.

"Thank ye, kind lass. But one doesn't simply ask around these parts anymore. Many strange things 'ave been appearing, don't ye doubt. 'Tis dangerous times, these be."

"True enough," Katt agreed, thinking back to the rampaging Deathpedes that destroyed a village. "By the way, what's your name?"

The Highlander threw his cloak behind him with a theatrical flourish. "Sten Legacy, at yer service, lass."

"If you're done trying to pick our pockets," Ryu cut in, "then feel free to leave." _We must be careful around this one. Katt and Nina don't realize how deadly this man, Legacy, can be. He hides it well, but he's a fighter. A good one._

"Don't be rude, Ryu!" Nina reprimanded. To the Highlander, she said kindly, "Have you a place to stay?"

"Nay, lass," Sten replied. "I'm a vagabond. Me home is tha' road. Though it seems ye've a good camp here that might do for a spell."

"Well," Katt said, "if you ain't going to steal any more of our stuff, then feel free to crash. But I'm warning you—I'll be keeping both eyes on those hands of yours."

_And I'll be keeping mine on them too,_ Ryu thought. Aloud, he said, "If we're done here, I'm going to bed. It's late."

"Aye, it is," Sten agreed. "Thank ye for giving this old thief a bed for the evening."

* * *

Ryu said he was going to sleep, but he remained awake. It was not to watch over Sten Legacy, who had long since taken to his bed; soft snores could be heard from where he lay. Rather, Ryu stayed awake so that he could find a moment of privacy.

He took the top out of his bag and wound the cord around it. Memories came unbidden to his mind.

"_Ryu-niisan, I'm so jealous!"_

"_What do you have to be jealous for, Yua? Otousan buys you stuff all the time!"_

"_But he _makes_ you stuff. That's why I'm jealous."_

"_I don't get you at all. The stuff he makes isn't very good, anyway. Not like at a toy store."_

"_Hey, hey, Ryu-niisan, can I play with it?"_

"_No! It's mine!"_

"_Lemme play!"_

"_No! Baka-imoutou!"_

Ryu watched the top spin and spin and spin. "I should have let her play with it," he murmured, voice thick with memory…and regret. The top kept on spinning. Caught in the gyroscope of the past, Ryu's mind wandered further and further back….

"_Come on, Ryu-niisan—just let me play with it once!"_

_Ryu put the top in his vest pocket. "Go away, Yua! Go play with your dolls." He turned his back on her, intent on heading out. But he did not notice the determined set to his little sister's eyes. Nor did he notice her get up and charge at his back._

_He did, however, notice the sudden weight on his back and the small arms around his throat. "Gack! Yua! Leggo!"_

"_Gimme it!" she wailed. "Gimme it or I'll choke you!"_

"_Otousan's gonna be mad at you," Ryu warned._

_His sister's face popped in front of him, startling him momentarily; she had clambered onto his shoulder and was bent over his head. She looked so silly, her face upside down and her ponytails dangling down. She stuck her tongue out at him while pulling down her lower eyelid with a stubby finger. "I don't care if he does. He won't care. I'm his favorite, you know."_

"_That's only because you're a baby," Ryu countered snidely. Yua whimpered at that; he pressed on the attack. "Baby, baby, baby! Yua's just a baby!"_

"_I'M NOT A BABY!" the girl wailed, bopping him repeatedly on the head. "TAKE IT BACK AND GIMME THE TOP, BAKA!"_

_But Ryu kept on chanting, "Baby, baby, baby!"_

"_I'M NOT A BABY!" Yua pounded her tiny fists on Ryu's head some more. The boy was caught up in his teasing so much that he did not notice the top fall out of his pocket. It spun in the air and…_

…fell on its side. Ryu blinked, brought out of his reverie. He did not say a word. He simply picked it up, wound it again, and let it spin some more. _How long ago was that?_ he wondered. _Yua must be about Mina's age by now. I wonder if she's all right?_ The top kept on spinning, spinning, spinning.

Ryu was so caught up in his own thoughts that he did not notice the lack of snoring from one particular bedroll. Sten Legacy watched him through slitted eyes. _That lad's sharp,_ he thought. _No one could bring me down in a wrestling match, not even Truvo. But that boy took me down in the first pass. And he knew exactly what he was doing, too. Next time he tries that on me, I may 'ave to use the knife after all._

Sten continued his silent vigil on the young ranger, noting every detail. The easy grace of his movements—a fighter's movements—the dispassionate professionalism, the discipline. All corroborated Sten's conclusion that Ryu Bateson was a dangerous man, one to be wary of. But Sten noted, too, that he was so much like a child. _It's the top,_ the Highlander thought. _He's so careful with it. It's incredible, really. Someone like him…is just a child at heart._

Sten settled back into his bedroll and curled up, intent on getting some real sleep. _Sure, he's just a kid at heart, but even a kid can cut off a thief's hand._ Sten smiled mischievously._ Still, this group's an interesting bunch. I think I'll like hanging around them._


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Characterization of Sten Legacy. Development of the relationship between Sten and Ryu; I want to make them fit into the "master and apprentice" or "father and son" scheme. At the very least, I want Ryu to be a mirror for Sten. Also, I padded the ending with a long-overdue interaction between Ryu and Katt. If you hadn't noticed, I'm giving Ryu plenty of stage time with both of the lovely ladies. Can we say love polygon? I knew we could.

**Chapter Eight: New Directions**

"So ye see, 'tis all in tha' wrist," Sten explained as he juggled no less than a dozen daggers in front of a fascinated Nina. "And to them all disappear, is merely a matter o' patience and—o' course—timing." With a flourish, each blade vanished into his palm, one after the other. Nina applauded appreciatively at the Highlander's impressive demonstration of sleight of hand.

"Your fingers must be very useful in these tricks, Sten," the Windian reasoned. "They are very supple."

The Highlander curled his digits with a grin. "They are indeed, lass. Here!" He took out a coin and made it dance across his knuckles. Again, Nina clapped her hands together with a wide smile.

"He's really very good," she announced to her other companions.

Katt leaned forward from where she sat on a boulder, also enraptured by the Highlander's amazing dexterity. "So do you do parlor tricks for a living, Sten?" the Woren asked, resting her chin in her palms.

"Aye, lass. But only for a bit. I'm a thief through a through, ye know." He waggled a hairy eyebrow playfully at her. "But don't ye fret. I don't steal from friends, aye?"

Ryu—who was whittling away at the piece of wood he had been working on when he last visited Bow and Niro—had his own ideas about the "honor" of thieves. _And to call him a thief is to ignore a greater mystery,_ Ryu thought. _No thief knows his way around a knife like that, not in a wrestling match. He has to be some sort of fighter. But the bigger question is why he wants to hang around us?_

The ranger peered up into the blue sky. "Noon's just about to pass," he murmured. "We've dallied too long already." He stood up, pocketing the wood. He called out to the others, "Pack your things. It's time to leave."

"I don't see the rush," Katt said, throwing on her backpack reluctantly; she wanted to see more of Sten's tricks. "I mean, we don't even know where we're supposed to be going, anyway."

"A good point," Ryu conceded. He warily turned to Sten. "Perhaps you might be so kind as to give us a direction."

The Highlander looked a bit puzzled. "I'm not sure I understand, lad."

"We're looking for someone," Ryu clarified. "A girl of about seventeen with blue hair and eyes. And bat wings."

Sten's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, that one? Aye, I've seen her. She was heading west, toward Capitan. She had a big bag with her. Not that ye can ever forget someone who looks like that."

"That would be her," the ranger said. _At last, a trail to follow._

"Why ye be seeking her, anyway?" Sten inquired.

"A friend of Ryu's, named Bow, was framed for theft because of her," Katt supplied. "If we bring her back to Hometown, we can clear Bow's name."

Sten looked impressed. "A most noble thing, to stick by yer friends." A misty, faraway look stole into his slanted eyes. _Aye,_ he thought glumly, _it really is a noble thing to stick by yer friends. Which is why I'm not noble at all._

The change in expression was not lost on the ever-observant Ryu. _Something's troubling him,_ he mused. _There's a story here. But it isn't one to pry into, it seems._ He did not pursue that line of thought further. Instead, he shouldered his bags and strode westward. "Come on," he declared in his normally distant tone, "if we march hard, we should be in the mountains by sundown. I estimate it to be about a week's march south to pass the range and then another week to reach Capitan."

"Oh joy," Katt moaned flatly. "More walking."

"At least you'll lose some weight," Nina offered helpfully, which only earned her a death glare from the Woren. The Windian wisely backed away from making any further jokes.

The day passed by uneventfully. Katt and Nina, both curious about their strange new traveling companion, spent most of the march questioning Sten about his own adventures. The loquacious Highlander was very sociable and a well-traveled vagabond, making him a marvelous conversationalist.

"Ah, the wonders I've seen, dear lasses," he said to them with theatrical flourish. "I've traveled from tha' coasts o' peaceful Hometown to tha' mysterious islands o' Tunlan. Why, these eyes 'ave even seen the ruins o' the dragon city o' Drogen, the forest realm of Romero, and the sunken island of Agua, which legends say used to fly high in the sky!"

_I wonder how much of it is true,_ Ryu wondered silently, _and I wonder how much of it is embellished._

When night fell and camp was set, the ranger decided to find out first hand. He approached the Highlander, who was busily stoking the fire. "Sten," Ryu said, "could I speak with you?" He made sure that Nina and Katt were out of earshot. "Privately?"

Suddenly, the theatrics were gone. Sten's face was serious, his stance and gait measured, calculated, balanced. Ryu thought he looked like a coiled spring, ready to move into action—a fighter, ready to draw.

"Ye've been agitated around me," the Highlander said simply.

"That's because I don't trust you," the ranger said, just as bluntly.

Sten blinked in surprise. "That's very honest o' ye. Now, why? Do ye 'ave something against fellow travelers?"

"I've something against thieves," Ryu replied. "I used to be one, so I know better than to trust them. So, what is it you want from us, anyway, Sten Legacy? Money? Loot?"

Sten smiled wanly, tiredly, as if a great weight were pressing upon his shoulders. "How about simple companionship and a bit o' fun? I did say I ne'er steal from friends."

"Again, I used to be a thief. The word of a thief isn't the most reliable thing in the world."

The Highlander reclined on his heels, a smug smile tugging at his wide lips. "So if yer so dead set on distrusting me, then how do ye know any true word I give ye is truth?"

Ryu's emerald eyes hardened.

"Didn't think o' that, did ye, lad?" Sten chuckled. "Don't get yer pants in a knot, son. I'm just an old traveler. I did o' bit a pick-pocketing in me day, did a bit o' soldiering, did a bit o' this and that and yer younger brother, but that's all behind me now. Even if ye don't trust me, ye can at least be civil, aye?"

"Why are you traveling with us?" Ryu asked finally.

Sten shrugged. "Don't 'ave anything better to do. Besides, traveling with two pretty ladies—man's dream, aye?"

The shadow of a grin tugged at the ranger's mouth. "They're young enough to be your daughters," he said.

Again, Sten shrugged. "I hear mature's in these days." A mischievous, joking glint appeared in the Highlander's eye. "Afraid of a bit o' competition, eh, pretty boy?"

This time, Ryu did laugh. "You're welcome to them. I'm no good with girls. At any rate, I owe you an apology." He stuck out a hand. "I had no right to be as brusque with you as I have been."

Sten took it. "Aye, well, yer still a bratty kid, ye know. Ye got a lot o' learning to do. And ye got to respect yer elders, hear?"

"I hear."

* * *

It was Sten's turn at the watch. He knew how to keep one, too—probably better than all three of his traveling companions combined. _Though that Ryu would give me a run for me money,_ he admitted. _That one's a bit on the paranoid side, but he's clearly got a good head on his shoulders. He'd be a good soldier._

Sten pulled a root from the ground and started gnawing on it, knowing that the simple mechanical motion of chewing would keep him awake. He looked at his companions, noticed how they slept. _Ye can always learn the way of a man by the way he sleeps,_ he thought, recalling the old Highlander adage.

Katt tossed and turned, snoring loudly. _Fiery, passionate. Like a freshly tempered blade that's still red from the furnace. Reminds me of Cadjo. Ah, what a fighter that one was!_

Nina slept with the blankets close to her chin, as if it were a shield; a startling contrast to Katt. _She wants to feel protected, but she doesn't trust in her own strength to do so. Hildar was like that, until he learned to be more confident. Maybe she will, too._

And Ryu—the oddball, the paranoid—slept with his back against a tree trunk, a sword across his knees. _Even asleep he's ready for a fight,_ Sten thought. _That one doesn't care if he leads a life of war. Poor soul, it'll eat him alive, it will. But he's smart. He can keep Katt under control and protect Nina, too—I'd wager me best knife on that. He's…like me. He's smart, but he's stupid, too. Like me._

Sten sighed suddenly. _And what o' ye, ye old bag o' bones, ye old coward? Ye wanted to run from it all for so many years…and now ye ran right back into a group just like before—another Cadjo, another Hildar…another Sten Legacy. Hell, maybe ye'll run into another Truvo while yer at it!_

The Highlander punched the grass angrily. _Ye were never good enough to face yer problems, so ye ran away. And if ye end up running right back into yer problems, then yer no good at running away, either. Fine luck ye have, Sten Legacy. Fine bloody luck indeed. What bollix._

A soft, almost imperceptible rustling drew the Highlander's attention. Instinctively, he went for the knife he slipped under his sleeve. But he pulled his fingers away from the hilt when he saw Ryu coming up behind him.

"My turn," the ranger said. "Go get some sleep."

"I didn't even realize me shift was over," Sten admitted. "Must be getting absent-minded in me old age." The Highlander went to his blankets without another word. When slumber took him, it brought with it old memories…and not all of them good.

Ryu watched the Highlander's restless sleep. _Demons within,_ he thought, _can only be faced from within. But it isn't my problem, nor is it any of my business._

The ranger sat down on the grass and took out the top. _I should finish the whistle,_ he thought, staring at the top. _Bow said he wanted one. It's taking me longer to make it…but…._ Ryu wound the top and let it spin. _Doesn't spin as well on grass, but it still spins. It doesn't know where or why or how it spins, but it spins. Like me—I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just going at it one step at a time._

He looked up into the starry sky. _Wait a bit longer, Bow. We'll clear your name soon._

* * *

Katt awoke groggily. She scrubbed sleep from her eyes with the heel of her hand. "It's morning already," she noted. She blinked. "It's morning already! My shift! No one woke me up!"

She saw Ryu sitting on the grass, quietly whittling away at a piece of wood. The Woren stormed up to him and bopped him on the head. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

The ranger scratched at his offended scalp and answered, "I tried. You just kept sleeping."

She bopped him again. "Are you saying I'm lazy?"

"I'm saying you're a heavy sleeper." It was reply that earned him a third bop. "Please stop that."

"You shouldn't take other people's shifts," Katt chastised. "You'll be sleepy, too. And it's bad for your health."

"Workaholics don't get sick," he countered.

"If you didn't sound so damn serious, I'd say you almost made a joke."

"Take it as you will. At any rate, I don't mind losing a few hours of sleep. If you feel the need to make it up to me, then fix breakfast."

Katt looked at him, wondering if he was making fun of her, and decided that he was. She bopped him on the head a fourth time.

"I asked you to stop that, Katt."

"You deserve it, you workaholic." She went to make breakfast in a huff. Pots and skillets clattered loudly as she went about the chore. _He's such an idiot, taking two shifts like that! Stupid man. He's going to get a cold doing that. Stupid._

She stopped banging pans together to look at him. He had returned to shaping that piece of wood in his hands. _Still,_ she thought with a kind smile, _it was nice of him to do it. Even if he was being stupid._

When breakfast was finished, she handed him a plate of potatoes and crispy bacon. "Here," she said. "At the least, I make sure that you don't catch more of a cold because you ain't eating right."

"Thank you," he said coolly, tucking in. Katt nodded and went to wake Sten and Nina. Ryu finished off some bacon and appraised her handiwork in the same distant tone, "Tastes like ashes."

Suddenly, the iron-shod end of a quarterstaff bopped him on the head—hard.

"I _heard_ that!"

Ryu rubbed his bruised scalp, checking to see if it was bleeding. _Capitan looks farther and farther away._

And so the day passed as all days do, from morning to afternoon to dusk and night. The four travelers had gathered around a crackling fire to ward off the late autumn chill, for the seasons had started turn to the cold touch of winter.

"We might make Capitan before the first snow, if we're lucky," Ryu observed. "As it is, we should pitch the tents soon. It will rain tonight."

"I agree," said Sten with a sagely nod.

Katt blinked. "Uh…how do you two figure that? Since when were you able to predict the weather?"

"'Tis merely a matter o' paying attention, Katt," the Highlander explained.

"But meteorology is a difficult field," Nina protested, having studied some in the Magic School at Hometown. "Winds change course, pressure differences might not be—"

"Believe us, lass. Ye pay attention enough, ye'll know. It'll rain, don't ye doubt. So, up with tha' tents, aye?"

Sure enough, as soon as the tent was up, the first patters of rain drummed on the canvas. Nina looked at the two men in wonder. "That is an impressive talent you possess," she said appreciatively.

"Just learn to pay attention," Sten said simply.

Ryu, Sten, and Nina wrapped themselves in blankets and were about to take to their beds. But Katt mewed weakly, curled up in a shivering ball of fur. The steady beating of the rain seemed to terrify her; her ears twitched wildly and her face was pale beneath her fur.

And then came the thunder. Katt yelped.

"You don't like thunder," Nina noted sympathetically, squeezing the Woren's hand. "It's okay, Katt. It's only thunder."

"It's…so…loud," the Woren burbled. "Sorry, I'm such a wimp. But…thunder is scary."

"Nothing to be ashamed o', lass," said Sten. "'Tis a good thing, really, to know what yer afraid o'. Means ye know what to avoid, what to look out for. But if it really bothers ye, maybe ye can think o' something else? Take yer mind off it, ye see."

"I'll…try," Katt whimpered.

Suddenly, Ryu spoke, breaking his customary silence. "Perhaps a story will set your mind at ease. Would you like that?"

Katt looked at him, surprised—so did everyone else. Then the Woren slowly nodded. Ryu sighed, closed his eyes, and began. "This is a story my…my mother…told me when I was very, very young. She said it has great meaning for me, because I was named after one of the characters.

"Once upon a time, when our world was young, there were two clans—the Light Dragons and the Dark Dragons. The Dark Dragons were a vindictive and violent people, who had began a war of conquest. They wanted to take over the entire world. The Light Dragons were peaceful, a stark contrast to their cousins. One day, the Dark Dragons came to the Light Dragons' village and destroyed it. They thought they had killed everyone, but a few people survived. Among them was my namesake, a warrior named Ryu.

"Ryu wasn't very smart, or very strong, or very good at any particular thing. Indeed, he was a very normal person, except that he had a birthmark on his forehead—the genetic marker of all Light Dragons. Ryu saw the Dark Dragons kill his sister and so swore an oath of vengeance.

"Since he was so normal, it seemed like an impossible task to defeat the Dark Dragons and their empire. But he made many friends along his journey and he traveled far—the forests of the west, the deserts of the south, the mysterious islands of the east. He went everywhere with his seven comrades—one from each of the major races. Together, they found the one weapon that could defeat the Dark Dragons, a song that could slay any wyrm.

"Ryu went to challenge the Dark Dragons and their leader, Emperor Zog, alone, bearing only his sword and the song. He played it before Zog, crushing his heart…and, sadly, sacrificing his own life, because he, too, carried the blood of dragons in his veins."

"My mother always said that Ryu's sacrifice was heroic, the stuff of legend and myth. She said I should always try to emulate such valiance and righteousness." The ranger sneered to himself, a wry and sarcastic twist of his lips. "I don't believe in it, myself. What my namesake did was stupid; he should have had one of his friends play the song instead, someone who wouldn't have been affected by it. And at any rate, it's an old story; who knows if it's actually true, or if this is even the correct form of the tale. It could have been redacted along the way."

"Still," Nina said quietly, "it's…a very nice story. Even if it might not be true."

"Yeah," Katt agreed. "I feel better after hearing it; thanks, Ryu."

The ranger nodded. "Don't mention it." He tilted an ear toward the canvas. "Seems the rain has stopped; you're in the clear, Katt."

The Woren smiled happily, regaining some of her usual zest. "So it seems. Heh, heh." She turned her thankful grin toward the ranger, coloring slightly when their gazes passed by each other. _He's really nice,_ she thought. _It was thoughtful of him to come up with that story._

"Hey Sten," Katt said, poking the Highlander on the shoulder, "what did you think of Ryu's story?"

The Highlander grunted indifferently. "Like pretty boy said, 'tis an old story, an improbable story. Probably altered over the roll o' years. I heard a million like it, but…." His eyes went misty at some memory. _But it sounds a great deal like Goonheim._ He noticed that Katt was looking at him in concern and he hurriedly said, "But it's just another hero tale. Stuff like that don't happen, lass. Hero business is for fools."

"I couldn't agree more," Ryu said. "Anyway, let's all get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes: Onward to Capitan. The bulk of this chapter is a little incident involving plenty of drinking. Personally, I favor wine, rum, and soda, just because beer tastes flat and whiskey feels like I'm guzzling razor blades. If you're going to drink, at least get something with flavor and body. And don't you worry, all you Nina fans--she'll be getting her turn with Ryu soon enough. I managed to finish the drafts on four six chapters this week. That's a record, even for me, and I'm a fairly prolific writer (check out my update times on "The Weakness That is Love"--that was pretty fast.)

**Chapter Nine: The Truth in Drink**

"I've never…been in a place like this before," Nina admitted, looking around the taproom. A day out of Capitan, the party found a wayside inn promising a warm fireplace and piping hot broth—perfect shields against the growing chill of the season. But to Nina's highborn sensibilities, the inn was little better than a filthy hovel. The stares she received from the swarthy patronage did little to assuage her concerns.

"Places like these are where they good stuff is kept," Katt stated confidently, referring to strong ales. "Hey, barkeep! Give me the biggest flagon of swill that you got!"

"A Woren," Ryu heard the fat bartender mutter in resignation, "that one'll drink me dry, for sure." Ryu let a small smile play across his lips. If Katt's appetite was any indication, Ryu suspected that the bartender's claim was overly generous.

Ryu saw Sten moving toward a long table surrounded by gamblers; they were playing some form of bones. "I'll just earn us a bit for tha' evening," the Highlander said with a glint in his eye. Ryu said nothing, certain that the clever-fingered thief would earn plenty of gold in numerous ways—not all of them legal.

The ranger led the Woren and the Windian to a table and ordered dinner and drinks. They were served quickly. By the time they started to tuck into their meal, the inn was packed with travelers. The first snows were coming in, so most of the trade caravans between the port town of Capitan and Corsair were heading southwards. As such, traders, peddlers, and caravan guards comprised the majority of the inn's patrons.

"There's a lot of mercenaries," Nina noted. "I feel like I'm in an armed camp."

"It's always like this in the fall," Ryu said, handing her a flagon of dark ale. "Try this."

The Windian looked into the cup in askance. "What is it?"

Katt, who had already drained three tankards and was working on a third, said in a voice a few notches higher than normal, "Just the best stuff this side of the ocean! Ha!"

Nina gave her a depreciating look. "You're drunk."

"Am not!" the Woren pounded her chest for emphasis. "I'm as hale as a horse. Or a mountain lion. Or something."

"You're drunk," Nina insisted. "You should stop or at least drink slower."

Katt slapped her hard on the back in reply. "Don't be such a prude, Nina! It's a party. Let's enjoy ourselves while we can! Ha, ha!" Suddenly, Katt's expression became dead serious as she fixed a wobbly-eyed gaze on Ryu. "Hey, ranger, shmile for once, okay? I mean—hic—you're about as mush fun as a dead…a dead…a dead log."

Ryu just raised an eyebrow. "Nina was right. You are drunk."

"Don't you tell me that!" Katt hiccuped. "You're almosht as bad as Nina. Only you ain't a prude—you're jus' a statue, is what you are! I mean, you're pretty—hic—pretty cute, y'know? I'm wild for green eyesh, even if the blue hair's a bit weird, but you're at least a nice, big, tall guy. Hic—gotta love broad shouldersh. Hey, Ryu, tell me shomething. You…you—hic—you ever done it with a girl? Huh? You still a virgin, hon? Heh, I called you hon."

Nina decided that this was going far enough. She was not going to sit by while a friend made a fool of herself. She took Katt's shoulders and shook her gently. "I think you've definitely had enough, Katt. Let's get you up to your—"

The Woren demonstrated her impressive strength by shrugging off Nina's hands with a single shake of her shoulders. "Now you look here," she said, prodding Nina in the chest angrily. "Jus' cuz you're too mush of a prude to say you wanna get in Ryu's pants doesn't mean that I don't wanna."

Katt turned her attention back to Ryu, who watching the entire episode with a completely placid expression. That seemed to irritate the Woren. "See here, you—hic—you statue. Why don't you ever say anythin', huh? Are we that borin' to you? Come on, say somethin'! You shtill didn't answer my queshtion! You a virgin or ain't you? You got anyone special waitin' for you to bone her?"

Ryu tilted his head. "Will you go to your room and sleep it off if I tell you?"

Katt nodded her head vigorously, an act that almost sent her spiraling to the floor. "Shure! For you, that's a good deal, I think. Or somethin'."

"Then no, I've not lain with a woman yet and there's no one waiting in line."

Katt guffawed. "Ha! I knew it! Well, guessh that just meansh Nina and I've got shome work ahead of us, right? Ha, ha! Where's the door keys, anyway? Oh, thanksh, Ryu." The Woren wobbled up the stairs, roaring loudly. Where she passed, people scattered; few wanted to deal with a drunken Woren, especially one with the strength to rip a man in half.

Nina sat down with a sigh. "That was…awkward." She glanced at Ryu, blushed, and then found something terribly interesting to look at on the tabletop.

Ryu drank his ale calmly, as if the whole episode with Katt had been a normal occurrence. "Does it surprise that I'm a virgin?" he asked bluntly.

The Windian's head popped up, the redness stealing into her face like wildfire. "Erm…no, that is, well, I'm just shocked that you were so…well…candid about it."

"I'm usually not," he said, "but telling the truth seemed the quickest way to end what could have been a much more complicated situation. As it is, Katt's going to feel like a fool tomorrow morning."

Nina twiddled her thumbs distractedly, her face still bright red. "Um…about what Katt said. About me and her and work that we had to do…that isn't true at all, you know." She faltered and said hurriedly, "Not that you're an ugly sort or anything—she was right about you being nice to look at—I mean, that is, ah, er…I'm just going to be quiet now," she finished in a very small voice.

Had she been speaking to anyone else, she would have expected a snide comment or a laugh. But Ryu just smiled quietly and said simply, "Don't worry about it."

Nina felt a little better because of his calm, understanding reply. So she did not feel so strange when she asked, "Uh, so, _is_ there anyone special in your life? I'm just curious, of course."

A faraway look entered Ryu's emerald eyes. _There was…she used to call me Ryu-niisan._ Aloud he said, "I said there wasn't, didn't I?" He stood up then. "I'm going to check up on Katt and then go to bed. I'm starting to feel a little wobbly myself."

"Oh," Nina murmured. "Of course. I'll tell Sten."

"Do that." He walked off without another word. After he made sure that the Woren was sound asleep—and snoring loudly—he went into his own room and sat at the foot of the bed. He had said he was getting tipsy, but in truth he was still as sharp as a knife. The only drug taking the edge off was memory.

A memory of soft blue eyes.

"_See, Ryu? This is your new baby sister."_

"_Ugh…she's kinda ugly. Wrinkly."_

"_Ha, ha, ha! But she has eyes like your mother's. Blue ones. And don't you think okasan is pretty?"_

"_I guess. But the baby still looks wrinkly. What's her name?"_

"_Why don't you pick a name for her? If you think she'll be ugly, you should pick an ugly name. But if you want her to grow up strong and pretty, then you better name her well."_

"_Okay! How about Yua, then? Like Ryu and Yua! All the letters are the same except for one!"_

"_Yua…Yua…yes, that's a very pretty name. Yes, a good name indeed."_

* * *

The ranger awoke with a start and rubbed his eyes clean of sleep. _I seem to be drifting a lot lately,_ he mused. _Like…like I can't stay in the present anymore._ He slapped his own cheeks to force himself to full wakefulness. _Focus, Ryu. Got to focus. This is no time to dream. You have a thief to catch._

He walked down into the taproom, almost completely devoid of patrons in these early hours. He was apparently the first of the party to wake. _I guess I'll just have to wait for them._

Sten came down less than ten minutes later. The two locked gazes. _An early riser, as well,_ Ryu thought. _A sign of alertness beyond the simple ways of a mere traveler._

The Highlander suddenly broke into a disarming smile that failed to disarm Ryu. _He tries to hide it,_ the ranger knew, _tries to hide what he can really do. I wonder why?_

"Good morning," Sten greeted winningly. "I heard Katt caused quite a commotion last night. Seems she fancies ye, lad."

"If that's the case, there's little I can do about it," Ryu replied in his usual distant tone. "But just because she has an eye for me, you shouldn't leap to the conclusion that the feeling is mutual. I, for one, don't have time for those kinds of games."

"Ye know," Sten said, "I paid the Woren a little visit last night. She was still drunk, but she was bawling. Didn't expect that at all. Said she wondered why ye never even give her a second glance. Said yer just a cold stone statue who doesn't even look at girls twice. I think ye hurt her feelings."

"Is that supposed to be a reprimand?" Ryu shot back, feeling more than a little annoyed. _What business is it of theirs to pry intomy social life, anyway?_

"Love is a precious thing, Ryu," the Highlander stated in all seriousness. "Ye shouldn't waste it when the opportunity arises."

"I'll keep that in mind," the ranger said dryly. "But in case you forgot, Katt was very drunk when she started saying those things. I place little credence on things said while under the influence."

"Last I recall, drink removed yer inhibitions. She may 'ave been baring her heart out."

Ryu said nothing for a long while. Finally, he said, "You should wake the others. We have a long journey ahead of us yet, and I'd like to be in Capitan by nightfall."

Sten snapped a sarcastic salute and said, "Aye-aye commander."

The Highlander went back upstairs, leaving Ryu to his thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Yes, Ray is a Dark Dragon descendant, just like Valerie, Yua, and Ryu are Light Dragon descendants. By the time the game starts, the Light and Dark Dragons seems to be in cahoots in order to contain Deathevan, as demonstrated by there being representatives of both clans in the Dragon City (or whatever it was called). At any rate, I decided to do a little canon revision concerning the relations between the two Dragon clans. Namely, they're still at each other's throats. As you will see in this chapter, the Dark Dragons are on the decline, but there's still some animosity between the Light and Dark clans.

And you guessed it--the "Yua, oh, she must be a girlfriend" line at the end is a direct reference to Breath of Fire 1. Oh, allusions. Got to love the cute little allusions.

**Chapter Ten: The City of Sails**

The next morning was not a good one for Katt. "I can't _believe_ I got that drunk!" she moaned, her voice bouncing off the bedroom walls.

Nina patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. But the Woren continued to wail. "I made such a fool of myself! I can't believe I asked if he was still a virgin. I'm such a jerk."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Nina said consolingly. "You know Ryu—nothing ever fazes him. And you know he'd never bring it up or make fun of you for it. He's like that."

Katt smiled weakly. "Yeah, he is like that."

"Um," Nina began uneasily, "you said some things last night…I…I'm only curious and it really isn't my place to pry…but do you, that is, ah, do you like Ryu?" There. It was out in the open. And Katt had no choice but to answer it clearly and distinctly.

The Woren seemed at first taken aback by Nina's frankness. Then she grinned and leaned back against the bed. "Well, I do like him. He's smart, strong, tough as nails. And you can rely on him—that's always a good thing. So sure, I like him—as a friend, definitely. But if you're asking whether or not I'm in love with the guy…heh, who knows? I said a lot of things last night that I shouldn't have." _But now I have to worry if those were my real feelings coming out or not,_ the Woren thought. _Yeah…who knows?_

Katt turned and looked at Nina. "What about you?"

The Windian was startled. "Me? Eh…what do you mean?"

"What do you think of Ryu?"

"Oh…ah…he's just like you said," she started uneasily. "He _is_ very smart, and strong, and reliable. He's a natural leader, the kind you follow because he sets a good example, not because he barks off orders. But…" she sighed, "but he overworks himself. I'm really worried that something bad might happen to him because of it. You know, I don't think he noticed, but one time I saw him sleeping. He sleeps with his back to a wall and a sword in his lap—he's alert even when he should be resting."

"It's just a sign that he's an experienced adventurer," Katt said. Then a worried look crossed her feline features. "But you're right. He does seem to take things a bit too seriously. I think it has something to do with the fact that his best friend's in trouble right now." Suddenly, worry was replaced with mischief. "But you seem _awfully_ concerned about him," she noted with a wry grin.

Nina turned red to the roots of her golden hair. "It's nothing like that at all! Stop reading into things so much, Katt! Like you're any better; I wasn't the one who got so drunk I started coming onto him."

Katt waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, please. Sure, I made a colossal fool of myself, but hey, it was still a party. And like you said, it's not like Ryu will ever bring it up to haunt me." The Woren glanced at a timepiece on the mantel. "Oh, hey, we'd better get downstairs; Ryu'll want to head out soon."

* * *

Katt seemed so composed about dismissing last night's debaucheries that she almost believed it herself. But when she saw Ryu and Sten—or more specifically, Ryu—waiting in the taproom, the Woren veritably glowed beneath her tawny fur.

"G-goodmorningRyu," she said in such a rush that Nina, who had been watching her reaction with amusement, giggled.

But if the ranger noted Katt's embarrassment, he was tactful enough not to mention it. "Good morning, ladies," he greeted calmly. "Shall we be off?"

_Yeah,_ Katt thought, _he really _wouldn't _bring it up._

Sten watched the episode with a grin of wry mischief. While Ryu _wouldn't_, but Sten _would_. "Kitty doesn't know how to hold her liquor, aye?"

The Woren threw him a glare so chilling that any other man would have been frozen solid. But Sten's grin never left his countenance. "Wipe that off your face, old man," Katt grunted.

Ryu just shook his head at his comrades' antics and thought, _Capitan is really far._

The hike to the port city of Capitan took the bulk of the day. By the time the sun had dipped to the ocean's horizon, the party had finally reached the city walls. The setting rays set the azure waters aflame, a sight that would have inspired poets to their art.

"You know," Katt murmured dreamily, "I've never been to the ocean before. We should go to the beach." She smiled happily at the thought. "I heard Capitan has a nice beach."

"That does sound relaxing," Nina agreed. "We've been on the road for so long. Surely once we catch the thief, there will be ample time to unwind. What do you think, Ryu?"

"I've…never been to the beach before, either," the ranger admitted. "I never really found the time."

Katt sighed and bopped him on the head. "That's because you're always _working_. Do you even know how to swim?"

Ryu rubbed his scalp. "Yes, Katt. I learned how to because—"

"—some job or other needed it, right?" the Woren finished. She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Don't you ever do anything _not_ related to working? Geez."

"Sorry…" the ranger said dumbly, not really sure how to take her tirade.

"What are you apologizing for?" Katt said. "I mean, you're just wasting your life slaving away for the next gold piece. It's bad for your health, you know. Tell him, Nina, Sten."

"A good work ethic is admirable, Ryu," said the Windian, "but Katt's right about taking a break. All work and no play, you know."

Sten clapped the ranger on the back, "Lad, let's put it this way—ye 'ave two beautiful lasses ready and waiting to take ye down to tha' beach with them." He turned a laughing eye at the girls and smiled when he saw their discomfiture. "Aye, lasses?"

While the girls looked like they were going to pummel the Highlander for his improprieties, Ryu simply rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Let's just find an inn," the ranger said at last. Suddenly, he smiled ironically and said, "We can get everyone bathing suits in the morning."

His parting words made everyone else blink in confusion. Katt pointed a finger at him. "Did he…did he just suggest doing something fun?" she burbled.

"I think tha' world's going to blow up now," Sten said.

Nina giggled. "Maybe there's hope for you yet, Ryu."

The ranger grinned quietly. "Maybe."

* * *

"Well this is very strange," Ryu noted as the party entered the inn. "There's a lot of travelers, even though it's already the end of the trading season."

"They don't look like traders to me," Sten said, noting the variety of weapons hanging from scabbards and belt loops. The bulk of the patrons were roughshod, grimy men in much-scratched armor and helms. Some had fresh bandages wrapped around arms and temples. They had recently seen battle. Many of them gave the party a wicked scowl. "These men look like mercenaries." _But there is no sign of fighting anywhere around town,_ he thought. _How did they get injured?_

"Nina, Katt," said Ryu, "please check us in the register. I'll ask around to see if anyone's spotted the girl with the bat wings."

"And me?" asked Sten.

Ryu just gave him a look that said everything—_you're making sure I don't get stabbed in the back by this lot._

"Ah," murmured the Highlander in understanding. "Well, I'll just be sitting in a corner, then." He let a knife drop into his long fingers—not that anyone noticed it—and took a seat in a darkened segment of the bar.

Ryu went over to the swarthy bartender, who looked at him warily. The swarthy man dropped a hand beneath the counter, presumably to keep his palm on a concealed weapon. The ranger put on his most disarming smile—which was not very good—and said, "Good evening, sir, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Not particularly, no," came the gruff reply. "Strangers aren't much welcome here."

"But you seem to have an awfully large number of them tonight," Ryu countered, gesturing toward the mercenaries, many of whom were still giving him dirty looks.

The bartender shrugged. "They're a necessary evil."

"Interesting words," said the ranger. "Perhaps this will loosen your lips more?" He slid several gold pieces across the bar. Seeing the hard glint of greed spark in the bartender's eyes, Ryu pressed on. "I'm looking for a girl with blue hair like mine and bat wings."

"Aye, I've seen her," the bartender said, pocketing the coins. "It's the reason why everyone's looking at you like they want to stick a knife up your arse. The blue hair and all. That bitch stole a lot of money and caused a lot of trouble. For one thing, she went into the well to escape—and let out something big. Something nasty. It…it came out one night and kidnapped the carpenter's kid. The Donnelley boy. Then it went back under the well. Some mercenaries went in…only a few came back out. We're still trying to get the boy back, but it's been three days…."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ryu said with uncharacteristic sympathy. "I…know what it's like to lose someone. Do you know where the girl with the bat wings went?"

"She took a boat across the ocean."

_Damn,_ Ryu thought. _We don't have money for fare, not for four people._ Then he said, "How much are you paying these mercenaries?"

"Uh…about twenty silver a day. It's been hurting us, but everyone here knows everyone—the Donnelley boy is like everyone's son. We're willing to pay."

"Then how about you make sure my friends and I get on the next boat out and we'll get the boy back," Ryu promised.

The bartender scoffed suddenly. "What makes you think you'll have any better luck than a score of veteran mercs?"

Ryu shrugged. "Look on the bright side—you now have four extra blades free of charge. Well, two extra blades, a quarterstaff, and a magical cannon." The ranger slipped off the barstool, heading for the stairs and the rooms above. "So even if we end up getting killed, you'll at least saved yourself eighty pieces of silver." With that, he went upstairs to find Katt and Nina.

He felt a presence beside him and said without turning, "What is it, Sten?" _He's good at skulking, too,_ the ranger thought with no small amount of respect. _I almost didn't notice._

"A man with red hair," the Highlander said, stepping out of the shadows. "Over there, by tha' door."

Ryu peered past the patronage and saw the man in question. A dashingly handsome young man, the stranger was both stately and soft-looking, unusual in the presence of so many grim mercenaries. But it was his appearance that caught Ryu's attention. _Red hair…the color of blood…why do I feel so…angry?_ The dark emotions swirled like an uncontrollable whirlpool, threatening to suck him under. Ryu felt his jaw clench, felt his nails bite into his palms…_Hate…I hate…but why? I can't stop feeling it. Why do I hate this man?_ The depth of the unreasoning animosity he felt frightened him.

Then Ryu noticed the man's attire. "Those are clerical vestments," he murmured. He focused completely on the clothing…because he did not wish to explore the strange feeling stirring inside him. _Hatred, anger…I see blood when I look at him. It doesn't make sense, it's illogical to hate someone I've never seen before…no, focus on the clothes. There's logic in the clothes, that's a battlefield you can handle, that you can try and make sense of._ "Looks like a high priest of St. Eva." _Focus on that. Focus just on that._

"And tha' question is," said Sten, "what's someone so high up tha' ladder like him doing in a backwater port city like this?"

"The bartender told me that the thief we're looking for accidentally let something loose under the well," said Ryu. "That means there must be a tunnel system underneath the city, probably cut by erosion. Underground waterways like that can usually hold two to four men abreast. If so, whatever's down there must be big."

Sten nodded in agreement. "Invading troops use such tunnels to sneak past city walls during a siege," he noted. "Though I'm sure ye already knew that, right?"

There's definitely more to this one than he lets on, Ryu thought. Aloud, he said, "Precisely." 

"And what does that have to do with the cleric?" Sten pressed.

"I'll explain upstairs," the ranger said mysteriously. "Come on." Then he grinned wryly. "The girls will be disappointed; we won't be getting bathing suits tomorrow."

* * *

"I can't believe they're out of rooms," Katt whined.

"Well, you saw how many people were downstairs," said Nina. "It shouldn't be surprising at all." Suddenly, she blushed. "I admit, though…I'm not…looking forward to sharing a room with two men."

"Afraid Ryu'll get too much of an eyeful, eh?" the Woren said with a grin. Then she struck a pose, thrusting out her considerably larger bust. "Afraid you don't have anywhere near as much to show, eh?"

Nina glared at her and hugged herself—pointedly crossing her arms over her smaller chest. "That's not it…well…not all of it. No, it has nothing to do with it at all! It's just improper, that's all. Men and women shouldn't sleep in the same room until marriage."

"You're such a prude," Katt said with a smirk. "You really are a princess. It's not like we're all in the same bed or anything. And besides, we're talking about Ryu and Sten here. Sten's just an old man who goofs off and Ryu's…well, he's a stone statue."

Nina looked at the Woren sideways. "Um, Katt…I knows I asked this before. But you and Ryu? Sorry…it's just that you seemed very excited all of a sudden, about him staying here, I mean."

Katt sighed and leaned against the wall. "Like I said, it's not like I'm in love with him or anything," she said. "But you never know. It might work out that way. Life's funny like that, you know? I mean, he's so distant about everything—I guess I wouldn't mind having a calming influence like that in my life. Besides," she added with a mischievous grin, "it'll be fun to play with him a bit."

"O-Oh," the Windian said with a note of disappointment. _Well, if she likes him…I guess I should back off. It's not like I can compete with her, or anything. I mean…she's slim, more outgoing, and bigger where it counts. I mean, she's so pretty. I really can't compete. N-not that is matters!_ she thought hurriedly. _It's not like_ I'm _in love with Ryu or anything…and now I'm having a conversation with myself! What's wrong with me?_

"You seem pretty flustered," Katt said, watching her. "You all right?"

Nina came out of her reverie and forced a smile, though her face was still red. "S-sure. Yes. Perfectly fine, ha, ha."

"Uh-huh. Right. Sure you are." Katt grinned crookedly and shook her head. "You know, I don't mind prudes, nobles, and princesses, but I can't stand people who beat around the bush or just plain simply aren't honest with themselves. Maybe I'm just not very subtle, but I really believe it'd be better if you just say things straight out." She pointed a finger at Nina, which startled the Windian. "You, for example. Just say you like him already!"

"B-but I don't—"

"I said 'be honest!'" Katt insisted.

"But I really—"

"Come on, its not like I mind competition or anything. Makes it more fun, I think."

"But it's not—"

"But you think about him a lot, right?" Katt said with a wink. "It's the same with me. So just say you're interested, ne? Come on," she urged.

Nina finally threw her arms up, exasperated. "Fine, if it'll make you stop teasing me, then I'll say it. I'm not going to say I like him, but I will say that he interests me, okay? He interests me a lot!"

That was when both girls heard a knock on the door. Nina slapped a hand across her forehead—considering how loud she spoke, there was no way whoever was behind the door could _not_ have heard her. And she had a good idea of who was behind it. Sure enough, when the door opened, Sten and Ryu walked in, the former with an amused smirk and the latter with a face stonier than usual.

"Hello awkward silence," Katt muttered.

"Katt," Nina murmured, burying her face in her hands from embarrassment, "remind me to kill you in your sleep."

It looked like Sten was having a heart attack, so hard was he trying not to laugh.

Ryu, of course, took it all in stride, with his usual calmness. Nina briefly wondered just how he was able to do that. "A situation's developed," Ryu said. "It seems the thief we've been chasing has fled by boat across the ocean. If so, the frog city of Simafort would be the next place to check out—it's the only sizable city nearest to the ports. But ship fare is pretty steep. That's why I offered our services to help around here. It seems the thief accidentally released something in the tunnel systems under Capitan. Whatever it is, it kidnapped a small boy. We have to save him."

"This is serious," Nina murmured, her embarrassment vanishing in the face of such dire news. "That poor boy…."

"Yes," Ryu agreed with such strong conviction it made everyone blink. They had never heard him sound so…passionate. "So everyone get some rest tonight. We check out the tunnels in the morning." Then he looked around and noticed that there were four beds. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Don't tell me they ran out of rooms."

Katt grinned mischievously. "Then I won't. Hee-hee."

_

* * *

A dream. I'm dreaming again._

"_Ryu, come on."_

_Okasan…she has such beautiful wings. I wonder if I'll grow wings like hers? Bat wings…._

"_Yua-chan? Ryu, make sure you watch your sister while I get the groceries, all right?"_

_Of course I will. I always look out for Yua. She needs me._

"_Ryu-niisan? I'm hungry."_

_Then I'll have to buy you something, won't I? How about some pie? There's a pie store here. You said you like cherry pies._

"_Ryu-niisan, you have some too."_

_Thanks, Yua. Yua? Yua! Where'd you run off to? I can't leave you alone for one minute, can I? You're always running off. Wait, who's that she's with? A man with red hair—with wings like okasan's. No one else has wings like hers…is he a relative? I've never seen him before…Yua, come here!_

"_See? There's Ryu-niisan. He's my brother. Okasan has wings like you, Stranger-san. Hey, do you think we'll have wings, too?"_

_Yua, you shouldn't talk to strangers!_

"_But he's like okasan! He's not a stranger."_

"_Yua-chan! Ryu! Stay away from him!"_

_Okasan…but why is she looking at that man like that? Like…like she hates him?_

"_I don't know who you are, but stay away from my children, Black One."_

"_You seem to have me mistaken for someone else, madam."_

"_There is no mistake. You're of the Dark Dragon clan—no one else has hair like that—the color of blood. And no one else has wings like that—the wings of dragons."_

_Dark Dragon clan?_

"_You really are mistaken. There's no such thing as the Dark Dragon clan. There hasn't been in a very long time. I meant no harm to your children. I am merely a traveler, passing through. Besides…Light One…_our_ kind's time has long passed. We're not a threat to anyone anymore."_

"_Then you really are…."_

"_Yes…I really am. But that doesn't matter anymore."_

_Red hair…bat wings…a Dark Dragon...I don't understand what it all means. Okasan never talked about that man or that day. But she seemed sad when he left, even though she looked so angry when she first saw him. I never understood why; she never said why. Red hair…bat wings…a Dark Dragon. What did it all mean?_

_Dark Dragon…._

* * *

Ryu awoke slowly. "I'm drifting again," he murmured into the sunshine spilling onto his face. "I can't stay in the present anymore…okasan…Yua." He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs. _Focus, Ryu. Right—first things first. Bathroom._ He walked to the bathroom door and was about to turn the knob when it opened. From the other end of the threshold, Nina let out a squeak of surprise.

"Oh…uh…g-good morning, Ryu," she stammered, looking away. _I didn't know he sleeps shirtless. He's…wow…um._ "I'll…I'm…I'm finished," she said in a rush, shyly slipping around him.

Ryu just sighed. _Complications like this are the last thing I need,_ he thought. _If I were Bow, I'd at least have something witty to say. Oh well. It can't be helped._

When he finished his morning toilet, he threw on a shirt for Nina's sake. _She already looks like she's about to have a hernia,_ he thought, _no reason to throw more monkey wrenches in the machinery._

"Um, Ryu," Nina spoke up suddenly.

"What is it?" he asked.

"About yesterday. You seemed very determined to help the boy."

Ryu's face went stony. "Is that a problem?" he asked guardedly.

"N-no! That's not it at all!" the Windian said hastily. "It's a very noble thing you want to do. But…you seemed very pensive afterwards. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Nina looked hurt by his gruff response. "O-okay…sorry I asked," she whispered.

Ryu sighed, feeling a bit guilty. "I apologize, Nina. I'm…not used to talking about it. There's someone I knew, once. Her name was Yua."

Nina felt something shatter inside. _Yua…a girlfriend, maybe?_ she wondered in disappointment. _But he said there was no one waiting for him…._ "Yua was your lover, then?" she asked quietly.

She was startled when he laughed aloud. Ryu clarified, "No, no she wasn't. She was my little sister. A little fireball who always got her big brother into so much trouble all the time. She was the best little sister ever."

"Was?"

"Do you remember that story I told you?" he asked. "About the little boy and his kind father and his curious little sister?"

Nina's eyes widened in sudden realization. "You…that was about you, wasn't it? Then…your family…."

"I lost them," he said in a cold voice. "And I've been looking ever since. But…it's hard to find something when you have no idea where to look. I…I don't want anyone else to have to go through that."

"Ryu…." On impulse, she clasped his hand. He blinked in surprise; he had not expected her to be so bold. Nina smiled up at him. "I'm sure you'll find them someday. You're a hard worker, after all. Surely you will—if you work at it hard enough."

He smiled back and squeezed her hand. "I'd like to think so."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: And now we get to see _why_ Ryu's such a cold-hearted stone statue. Ah, denial—always great for angst. Too bad it gets overused. Ah well, I'm adding my own overuse to the pile. Whee. Don't worry Katt fans—Ryu and Katt will get their tender moment soon enough. For now, this one's for the Nina fans. Next chapter is all for Katt. 

There's a big canon change here. While shamans are really, really cool, they don't really add anything to the main story, as most of them are "secret characters." That, and I don't want Ryu anywhere near that whore, Sana. Love triangles are cool, but love quadrilaterals/pentagons/hexagons/dodecagons/polyhedrons are not (they were only cool in Escaflowne). Therefore, I've given them the axe. But, hopefully, you will find the changes to canon a new, refreshing, and enjoyable alteration. For one, I'm going to treat the so-called Dragon Power as a more mysterious force. So no blowing up of old ladies' forest homes, Ryu-chan.

As for why Nina gets to liplock Ryu first--flip of a coin. Seriously.

Translation Note: I shouldn't have to say this. This has to be the most well-known Japanese word short of "kawaii." "Ryu" has more than one meaning, but the one obviously used in Breath of Fire is that of "dragon."

**Chapter Eleven: Watery Graves**

The party crept through the tunnels beneath Capitan with care and trepidation. Ryu was on point, his sword out and a lantern in hand, illuminating the dripping walls with its pale light.

Nina, who was following close behind, mused silently, _He's so different from before. He looked so…passionate and worried when he was talking about his sister. He looked so sad when he talked about losing her. But now he's cold again, closed up and not willing to let anyone inside. Oh, Ryu, don't you know you can let go of all that? You have friends who'll listen and help you._ Nina sighed for her friend._ But if you did that, you wouldn't be Ryu anymore, would you? You don't want to rely on anyone else._

Then a chitinous head appeared out of the darkness, mandibles snapping wildly. Nina leaped back with a cry. "Yaa!" she reflexively hurtled an arc of lightning at the giant insect, blasting open its exoskeleton and leaving it as little more than charcoal.

"What the hell _is_ that thing?" Katt moaned, covering her nose in disgust. "Ew, it smells horrible! Couldn't you have just frozen it to death, Nina?"

"S-sorry," the Windian stammered. "W-what is it?"

Ryu knelt and sifted through the remains with his fingers. "I hope you wash your hands before touching anything," Katt admonished, half-seriously.

The ranger looked up. "It's a Deathpede spawnling," he explained. "Note the mottled texture of the exoskeleton and its relative softness—those are indicators of age. In this case, that of a juvenile. The head structure—what's left of it, anyway—resembles the larval stage of a Deathpede."

"Whoa, you know a lot," the Woren murmured.

"I pay attention," Ryu replied. "Anyway, that isn't what's of interest. What _is_ interesting is that Deathpedes don't lay their eggs during the fall. They wait until the later months of winter and let them hatch at the beginning of spring."

"What would have made them reproduce out of cycle?" Nina asked.

"I can answer that one," said Sten. "Only direct threats to tha' hive proper would force Deathpedes to migrate and prepare eggs outside o' sync. It's to ensure that a new generation lives on, despite the arrival of a threat. Isn't that right, Ryu?" The Highlander looked at the ranger pointedly, as if testing him.

Ryu nodded. "Usually, the threat is a flood, since Deathpedes make their hives underground. Floods in these close quarters would wipe them all out. Farmers take care of Deathpede populations in the countryside by inducing artificial floods. It's a common tactic." Ryu looked back at Sten in challenge. But the Highlander only smirked, as if satisfied by something.

"So something scared the Deathpedes," Nina reasoned, "and since this place is relatively dry, flooding isn't the cause."

"Which makes you wonder what could frighten something like a Deathpede," Ryu finished ominously. He pointed down one tunnel. "Judging by the tracks this critter left behind, we can assume the source of Capitan's troubles is down this direction."

"Then let's go!" Katt said, punching the air. "There's a kid we got to save!"

_Saving the boy is our primary concern,_ thought Ryu, _but what in Eva's name could be so threatening to a hive of Deathpedes?_

The party soon found out.

They followed the tunnel and came out in a cavern with an underground lake. Slimy goo covered every dry inch of the place, a hardening resin that gave the rocks a greenish, glossy look. Attached to the wall by a mound of such gunk was a small boy, crying softly.

"There he is!" Katt exclaimed, already heading to the child's aid.

Then Ryu caught something in the corner of his eye. _The lake…something's in it._ He shouted, "Katt! Look out!" He ran and tackled her to the ground just as a massive chitinous tentacle whipped out of the water, slashing at the air where the Woren had just been standing.

"Damn," Ryu grunted, covering Katt with his body protectively. "That thing's fast."

Katt looked up, coloring slightly at their proximity. But her discomfiture evaporated when she saw the blood on Ryu's back. "What happened?" she asked, concerned.

"That thing's fast," he said again. "It's tentacle has some bone ridges under it. Sharp ones." He stood up and brought up his sword. "Katt, Sten—grab the boy. Nina, help me kill that thing."

"But I can help too!" the Woren complained, wanting to be part of the fighting.

"Your strength is needed elsewhere," Ryu growled back, not in the mood to have his orders countermanded for pettiness. "Show me how strong a Woren is, Katt, and free that boy."

Katt looked at him and then nodded, cracking her knuckles. "I won't let you down." She and the Highlander made a beeline for the Donnelley boy.

"You know," Nina said, flying over to Ryu's side, "for someone who's supposedly a stone statue, you sure know your way around a pep talk."

"I needed to learn that skill for a job," he explained with a sardonic grin. His eyes narrowed suddenly, green slits peering into the lake. "It's coming back up. Stay alert."

The beast reared itself out of the water, revealing its horrible majesty. It looked like a giant turtle, but covered in sharp, menacing spines. Tentacles whipped around its mouth, revealing a razor-sharp beak within. "I have no idea what it is," Ryu said, "but if it can bleed, it can die."

Tentacles slashed and flailed, forcing the ranger and Windian to duck and dive. Ryu brought his sword around and clove a pair of tentacles right off. Nina launched a series of lightning bolts, burning off chunks of flesh…but the monster kept right on coming. An errant appendage threw Ryu into the far wall; Nina had to climb up to the roof of the cavern just to stay out of the turtle's way.

_If only I had more room to fly,_ she thought, _then I could take advantage of three-dimensional fighting._ As it was, she had the advantage of height and started hailing flames, lightning, and huge balls of ice down upon her enemy. But the turtle found refuge under its thick shell. Nina gritted her teeth in frustration.

Then, suddenly, a tentacle sped out of the dark waters, straight for her. She tried to evade, but there were too many stalactites and not enough room for her wings to maneuver. The tentacle slammed into her head-on, wrapping around her waist and pulling her under the water. The sensation of icy death sheathed her body, the lack of air an ever-present doom. Nina flailed her arms, flapped her wings…all futilely—her arms could not hope to pull her out of the monster's grip and her wings were useless under the water. She thought of many things…she thought of Mina…and then blacked out.

* * *

_Am I dreaming? No…I'm dying. Yes, I'm dying. I'm drowning. It feels cold. There are many ways to die underwater…drowning, hypothermia…I'm not dressed for warmth; it's fall, but it isn't that cold yet...I wonder if I'll die of cold before my lungs give out._

_Wait…what's that flash? A sword…I see blood. Mine? No, it's green blood. Someone cut something…Ryu…he's saving me. The tentacle, that's the tentacle falling away. He cut it off._

_Ryu's so strong. It must be hard swimming under armor and weapons while carrying a girl. I don't weigh much, but still…he's so strong. Ryu…I…._

* * *

"How is she?" Katt asked worriedly. She and Sten had just freed the Donnelley boy when they saw Nina go under. In a rage, the Woren had single-handedly bashed in a fist-sized hole in the turtle's shell, giving Sten enough room to thrust his dagger deep into the monster's soft flesh, ending its existence on the mortal coil as its heart was slashed in twain. 

But the victory was hollow, for Nina lay on the banks of the lake, not breathing, her face blue from cold. Ryu knelt by her side, checking pulse, checking breath. Even as Katt was trembling with concern for her friend, the laconic ranger went about his work methodically and with infinite reserve. It was irritating Katt.

"Say something, damn it! I asked how she was!"

"Be quiet," Ryu snapped with such sternness that it subdued the fiery Woren. "Let me work." He tilted Nina's head back. "Three breaths, then fifteen," he said quietly to himself. Then he sucked in a breath and pressed his mouth against hers. He watched her chest rise slowly and then pulled away. He touched the valley between her breasts, found the sternum, and counted down before locking his arms against it. "One, two, three," he counted softly with each compression. "Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen." He repeated the process again. Then again. And then again.

"Wake up, damn it," he growled, the first sign of his calmness shattering. _I won't lose anyone else,_ he thought. _What good is all my training, all my learning, if I can't save my friends? What good is any of it if I lose Yua again…No, I won't lose anyone ever again!_

He pressed his mouth against Nina's again, forcing breath into her lungs. And then her head pulled up. Ryu backed away as the Windian coughed and sputtered, expelling water. Katt ran to Nina's side and threw a tight hug around her. "So glad, I'm so glad," the Woren murmured, crying.

"I appreciate the gesture," Nina said breathlessly, "but I just drowned; I could use some air." The girls shared a laugh at that.

Ryu stood up and went over to the slain turtle, if only to put some distance between himself and the rest of the party. _I…don't want to lose anyone,_ he thought. _But I don't want anyone, either. It hurts…to get close to people. I made a mistake in letting these people join me. I…damn._

"That's some trick," Sten said suddenly, walking up behind him and interrupting his thoughts. "I've never seen anything like that. Raising the dead by kissing. I'm sure there's romance stories about that."

"It's not like that at all," Ryu said. "It's a matter of breathing for someone; pressing down on their chest simulates a heartbeat and forces the heart to start beating again. I learned it from a doctor named Kay a long time ago. Apparently, it's a new technique that never really caught on, what with magical healing and all."

"Ye're rambling a bit more than usual," Sten noted. "Did Nina scare ye that much?"

_Yes…it did. I don't want to lose anyone else. I don't want to lose Yua again,_ he thought. But aloud, he said, "You're imagining things."

* * *

"Thank you so much for saving my boy," said the carpenter, Donnelley. "You've no idea how much this means to me." He hugged his son close, tears in his eyes. 

Ryu smiled to himself. _I know all too well._

Nina looked at him, looked at that smile. She knew what it meant. _I hope he can cry those tears…with Yua with him again._ Then she blushed when her thoughts turned down a different path. _My first…kiss. Ryu gave it to me. Though it'd be nice if it weren't under those circumstances, but still…._ She touched her lips. _Stop thinking like this, Nina. He's…just a friend. You don't know if he even likes you._

"If there's anything I can do," said Donnelley, "just name it." He and Ryu were still talking.

Ryu looked thoughtful. "Well, a friend of mine needs some help fixing a house, so…."

Donnelley stopped him then and there. "Say no more, Mr. Hero. Just tell me where to go!"

"West of Mount Fubi," Ryu said. "A bit of a hike, but I have some money to pay for a palanquin to take you most of the way; only enough for one, though. By the way—its Ryu. I'd prefer it if you didn't go around calling me a hero when I don't deserve it."

"But you most certainly are one," Donnelley protested.

_No I'm not,_ Ryu thought. _A hero does good deeds out of selflessness. I do them out of selfishness. I'll never let another Yua happen again. To anyone. I'd feel…I'd feel like I did ten years ago, if it ever happened again. I don't want to feel like that ever again._

The party left the Donnelley residence and headed for the docks, having secured passage on the next boat out. But they saw a red-haired cleric waiting for them. Ryu and Sten shared a wary look; the ranger's jaw clenched and his hands tightened into fists. _I can feel it…this unrelenting, unreasoning anger. Why?_

"Can we help you?" Katt asked, blunt as ever.

The cleric smiled, his handsome face like an angel's. Katt's bluster fumbled against that disarming smile. Nina blushed crimson.

_What is this guy?_ Sten wondered, watching the girls' reactions. Katt and Nina were not ones to simply fall head over heels for the nearest stud, not even Ryu. _Even I feel strange around him, and I'm certainly more alert than those two. Is it sorcery that is making us feel this way?_

"My name is Ray, a high priest of the Church of St. Eva," the cleric said in a soft, musical voice. It sounded as sweet as honey. "I wanted to thank you for dealing with the monster. My superiors noted several recent outbreaks in monster activity, so I was sent to deal with problems in the nearby towns. I heard about Capitan's plight with the intent of dealing with the monster myself. But it seems you have done just that." He bowed in a low, yet stately gesture. "My deepest thanks."

"Y-yeah," Katt stammered, suddenly every inch the giddy schoolgirl. "Um, s-sure, no problem. Uh…I'm Katt."

"And I'm Nina Windia," the Windian supplied, seeming very eager.

Ray smiled at them. He had dimples. "A pleasure to meet you, ladies." He turned his gaze—an emerald gaze as green and intense as Ryu's—to the men. "And you are?"

"Sten Legacy," the Highlander said, unable to stop himself. _It truly must be sorcery,_ he concluded. _And powerful sorcery at that._

"I am Ryu Bateson," the ranger said through gritted teeth. "Sir Ray," he said, using the cleric's honorific, "if you would be so kind, can you tell me why I hate you so much?"

_That_ got everyone's attention; the others all turned to look at him as if he had grown an extra head. But Ryu's emerald gaze never left Ray's.

The cleric just kept smiling, completely unfazed by the ranger's strange question. "Do I look like someone you should hate?" he asked calmly.

"I don't know," Ryu admitted.

"What does your heart tell you, Mr. Bateson?"

"My heart…My heart…" Ryu closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they seemed to shine with their own light. "My heart tells me nothing," he said at last. "I work with my hands, not my heart. It's my hand that guides me…and I can barely stop it from going to my sword and cutting your heart out."

"Ryu," Nina murmured, sounding very concerned…and very frightened.

Katt moved to bop him on the head. "What's with you, Ryu? Stop being rude—" The Woren did not finish; she was stunned by the glower the ranger was giving the cleric.

"Tell me, Sir Ray," Ryu said again, "why do I hate you so much?"

"Perhaps because you and I are the same breed," Ray said mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" the ranger demanded.

The cleric continued smiling. "Do you believe in dragons, Mr. Bateson? I do."

_Okasan…she has such beautiful wings…bat wings._

"What do dragons have to do with it?" Ryu asked.

"More than you might think," Ray replied. He smiled at everyone winningly. "It's been interesting talking with you." He looked at Ryu in particular. "Especially you, Mr. Bateson. I certainly wasn't expecting to meet anyone like you. Ryu…such an appropriate name." The cleric walked past them, heading back into town.

Ryu called out, "Wait. A question, Sir Cleric. Ten years ago…did you ever a visit a town to the east? On the peninsula to the west of Manori Island? Did you ever visit the town of Gate?"

Ray turned and looked at him. "I was only a child then, Mr. Bateson. I could not possibly have. You seem to have mistaken me for someone else."

_You seem to have me mistaken for someone else, madam._

_There is no mistake…Dark Dragon clan._

_Red hair…bat wings…I don't understand._

_Who is this man?_ Ryu wondered, watching Ray's retreating back. _And why do I hate him so much? Okasan…why can't I find the answer?_


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: And the kitty gets her due.

**Chapter Twelve: Heart**

"Geez, where's the galley in this overgrown tub?" Katt grumbled. "You'd think a boat like this would have some decent grub around here. Wonder where they hide it, anyway?" She wandered through the ship aimlessly, listening to the swish-swish of the waves. The ship rocked back and forth, but the agile Woren navigated her path with ease. Still, the movement only reminded her of her hunger. Her stomach growled. Katt sighed.

Why'd Sten have to pig out and eat the rest of the rations?" Katt whined to herself. "He's such a goofy old man." She eventually wandered onto the deck and saw Ryu leaning against the rail, watching the water ebb and flow. He looked pensive and, for the first time in the weeks that she knew him, Katt saw something she would never have thought possible—Ryu looked…vulnerable.

_He's so quiet,_ she thought, _but not the serious kind of quiet. It's…it's a distracted quiet. That's not like him. Distracted isn't like him at all._ She crept up behind him and when he did not notice her approach, she was certain that something was bothering him. _Definitely not like him at all._

Then, suddenly, she sprang upon him, wrapping her arms around the ranger's neck in a tight embrace. "Hey you, why are you so spacey today?" she asked lightly, even as she practically strangled him. "Come on, answer me. Hee, hee. What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Ryu gagged until he regained his footing and shrugged her arms off. "You didn't need to do that," he gasped breathlessly. "A simple 'hello' would have sufficed."

Katt smiled at him innocently. "Where would the fun be in that? Come on, Ryu, play with me here. You're distracted, I choke you until you stop being distracted. Fun, huh?"

"You're one twisted lady."

She just smirked at him innocently. "Got your attention, didn't it?"

"It certainly did."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to answer. He stayed silent, watching the ocean. "Well?" she asked finally. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," he replied absently. That earned him a bop on the head. He just sighed in resignation. "Please stop doing that."

"Not until you stop this mystery man attitude," Katt countered. "Talk to me, Ryu. Something's bugging you and I think I know what it is. It's Ray, right? You never talked about why you mouthed off to him yesterday. In fact, you barely look at any of us after that. What happened back there, anyway?"

The ranger lowered his head, eyes closed. "I honestly don't know, Katt. But when I saw him…I knew I hated him. I've never seen him before in my life, but…but I couldn't help feeling it."

The Woren raised herself up on the rail, watching him closely. His brow was creased in thought, his jaw set and hard; his teeth were gritted in frustration. Katt touched his shoulder sympathetically. "Maybe I'm not the best person to be saying this," she said, "but it seems to me that you never really had a good hold on your emotions. Right?"

Ryu looked at her, surprised and confused. "What brings you to that conclusion?"

"Simple. You're always so…how to say it? Self-controlled. You're not reckless, like me. Or cool-headed like Rand. Or uncertain and afraid like Nina is sometimes. And you don't joke around like Sten." She looked over her shoulder at the way the setting sun played upon the water like a faceted gem. "Sometimes, I wonder if you even have any emotions. You're always so…distant. Like you're not even really here, in the present, I mean. Maybe I'm just spouting psychobabble, but I get the impression you've never let yourself really feel anything. And seeing Ray, for whatever reason, brought down those barriers you have and let you feel."

Katt looked at him with a lopsided grin. "Do you think I'm just rambling?"

Ryu returned her look with one of gravity, maturity, and respect. "You may not be far off the mark," he murmured. "I really don't feel like I'm really here. And it's true I don't open up to others. I can't make myself, you know. I don't like to. Not even with Bow, my best friend."

"Well, it takes a lot of effort to open up," Katt said gently. "It means you make yourself, well, vulnerable in many ways. But it makes you stronger too, I think."

The ranger was silent, and if he had any opinion on the matter, he kept it to himself.

The Woren only smiled quietly. "I didn't think you'd say anything."

"Those are wise words," the ranger said quietly.

Katt chuckled. "Oh, come on, I'm not that clever. I'm just saying it how it is."

"The wisest are usually those who give meaning to simple matters," Ryu said.

They were quiet for a time, an awkward silence suffocating them. Suddenly, Ryu asked, "What do you think of Ray?"

"Him?" Katt tried to hide an instinctive blush, failing miserably. "Well…he's certainly handsome…and charismatic. And he seems real nice. I honestly wonder how anyone could hate him. Especially you, what with your calmness and all. I was really surprised—all of us were—when you said you hated him."

Ryu's emerald eyes narrowed as he stared out across the azure waters. "I don't trust him," he said simply. "But that isn't any cause for hatred. Still, I sense there's something more to all this than just a goody-two-shoes priest."

"Ryu…."

Suddenly, Katt's stomach grumbled. Loudly. The Woren blushed crimson. "Eh heh, heh…I'm a little hungry."

Ryu's smile looked like his old ones, before he met Ray. That comforted Katt. The ranger drew something out of a pocket and handed it to her. "This ship doesn't make long enough trips to have a galley," he said, "but I wouldn't want you to starve on the way."

Katt looked at the morsel in her hand. "Cookies? You can bake, too?" She looked at it warily, the memory of the last thing he made still fresh in her mind.

"My baking is better than my cooking," he assured her.

"So what job made you learn how to bake?" she asked, taking a large bite out of the cookie. It tasted very good. She purred in delight.

Ryu sighed and looked out into the ocean again. His thoughts tumbled back and back and back.

_"So just make the batter like this, all right, Ryu?"_

"_This will be the best batch of cookies ever, okasan!"_

"_If you put your heart into it, yes."_

"_Yua will like them too, right?"_

"_If you make them, I'm sure Yua-chan will love them. You put your heart into it, right, Ryu?"_

Ryu answered quietly, "Babysitting."

* * *

Katt returned below decks. _Babysitting? Would never occur to me to let Ryu watch over a bunch of kids. I shouldn't leave him up there alone; he's still thinking about Ray. But he said he wanted some time alone…I'm not smart enough to help him except by letting him work it out alone._ She ground her teeth at that. _Not smart enough at all._

Another thought struck her, one that made her ground her teeth harder. _Bet Nina could, though. Can't believe what happened back in the well. I mean, I'm glad she's okay…but…I guess now I really do have to think of her as a rival._ Katt grinned sardonically. _Well, I _did_ say I didn't mind competition…guess I'm just going to have to eat my words._

Katt returned to her cabin pondering these thoughts. The party had rooms in the bottom decks—the cheapest that the people of Capitan were able to secure for them in return for their heroic services. Leaky, loud, watery, communal rooms.

"Ye'd think they'd show their gratitude a bit more," Sten grunted, ducking from under a leaky board. "Me fur's all wet."

"If you're going to complain about a little water, try moving around with a three-foot wingspan, then," Nina said. She was curled into a ball, leaning back against the hull of the ship. "I feel like I'm in a sardine can."

"Or a birdcage," Katt supplied.

"Welcome back, lass," Sten greeted. "Did ye find a galley?"

"Nah. I found Ryu instead." The Woren sent Nina the barest of glances; the Windian turned away, her face glowing. "Turns out he knows how to make cookies of all things."

"Think he can play the fiddle, too?" Sten joked.

"He's probably a one-man orchestra," Katt replied. She turned to the Windian. "Nina, could I speak with you for a minute?" Sten discreetly left to find something else to do.

"What is it?" Nina asked, standing as far as was able. Suddenly, came rushed up against her, slamming a hand against the wall next to her head. "What're you doing, Katt?"

"Time for a little friendly game between us girls, ne?" Katt said smoothly. "I know you're into Ryu, especially now that he's saved your butt and given you your first kiss, so here's the score—you and me, we're going to be rivals for his heart. No holds barred, as long as we remain friends—no point in losing a good buddy over something like this, right? But when it comes to the arena of love—that's where the fun begins and the sparks start to fly. Heh, heh."

Nina looked at her as if the Woren had grown a second head. "I-I don't think that's a good idea, Katt."

"I said I didn't mind competition, Nina," the Woren said seriously. "And if all you're going to do is daydream about one kiss—and it wasn't even a real kiss, at that—then you should just stop pining off after him. Unless you really want to explore your feelings for Ryu, stop right now."

"Why are you doing this?" Nina asked quietly.

"Because Ryu's my friend…maybe more. Maybe." Katt's eyes flashed with determination. "Ryu's got issues. I don't know what kind and I'm not clever enough to figure it out, but I know that unless you're serious about how you feel about him, then you're not going to help him sort through any of the crap he has to deal with inside. I want to help him. So I'm putting it all on the line. See, that's how I live life, Nina. I go all out. Are you going all out too, or not?"

Emerald eyes stared into azure ones; suddenly, Nina saw just how deeply Katt meant her impassioned words. She could not possibly answer without putting her heart into it. Her answer—if it were to honor the Woren's seriousness—had to be the truth of what she felt. Nina answered, "Yes."

* * *

Ryu continued to watch the ebb and flow of the ocean, and thought about how he shared so much with it. _Directionless, always moving, always changing…but with no direction. I have no direction. Even helping Bow…after that…what happens after that, I wonder? All I have are memories that don't give me any answers._

His eyes narrowed. _Ray…a man I hate. He gives me a question I can't answer: Why? And he knows the answer. I have to know it, too…it's somehow connected to my past, to Gate…to okasan and Yua. I have to know._

"Enjoying the sea breeze?" asked a melodic voice.

Ryu spun, eyes flashing with automatic anger. "Ray," he growled.

The cleric smiled softly. "Do you still hate me? Well, it seems that you do. I guess it can't be helped."

"What are you doing on this boat?" Ryu demanded warily.

Ray just continued smiling. "There are other incidents occurring elsewhere, you know. I must investigate them. It is what I have been called upon by God to do." Ray walked up to Ryu and reached out to touch the ranger's face. Ryu reflexively took a step back.

"I don't believe in your God," he snapped harshly.

"You must really hate me," Ray said softly. "But you do not even know why."

"I'm still trying to figure it out."

The cleric looked away with a smirk. "Purest emotion."

"What?"

"Purest emotion," Ray repeated. "When you have nothing but feeling, with no thought behind it. A state of nirvana, a state of enlightenment and bliss. But even bliss comes with its own price, does it not? For without thought, there is no logic, no consciousness. One cannot exist on pure emotion alone."

Ryu frowned darkly. "You speak in nonsense and riddles. I've no time for such games. You know why I'm feeling like this—I see it in your eyes. Tell me."

Ray stared at him for a long moment, silent—the smile had vanished. And then suddenly it returned. "You're not ready," he said offhandedly.

That was a mistake. Ryu's hand shot forth, wrapped around the cleric's robe, and pulled him close. Ryu growled menacingly, "Tell me or I'll cut out your heart." Most of that anger was instinctive, born of that illogical urge of hatred…but enough of it was the frustration that Ryu actually felt. He _would_ cut out the man's heart if the games continued.

Ray understood this and said, "All right. But remember…you asked for this."

The two went to the prow, where they could speak in private. With the breeze blowing through his long red hair, making it dance like a sea of blood, the cleric began his story. "Long ago there were many races, many clans. Grass Runner, Digger, Builder, Shell, Wing, Forest…and the most powerful of them all—the Dragon Clan.

"A schism broke the Dragons into two camps, Light and Dark. The Light Dragons sought to live in harmony with the world around them, using their powers in sync with the rhythms of their planet. The Dark Dragons sought mastery. In short, the Light achieved power through understanding; the Dark understood through power.

"The animosity between the Dragon Clans escalated until the most powerful of the Dark Dragons, Zog, waged open war against his Light cousins—and slaughtered them. When Zog was killed, the Dark Dragons crumbled. Now they are merely a memory in history. The Light Dragons, destroyed by Zog, also vanished into obscurity. And with the demise of the Dragon Clans, so too did their power die—the power to transform into dragons."

"So okasan's stories were true," Ryu murmured. "But what does that have to do with this hatred?"

Ray looked at him sadly; there was no smile this time. "It means, Ryu, that you share the blood of dragons. You hate me because you can smell the blood inside me. You see, we are Dragons—each a representative of one of the clans. The hatred you feel is the genetic inheritance of your clan against mine."

Ryu's eyes widened. _Bat wings…okasan has such beautiful wings…Okasan, why didn't you tell us?_ "We…I…impossible," he whispered.

"I'm afraid that it's the truth," Ray said. "And you know the curse that befalls those with the blood of dragons, do you not? Everyone does. We are monsters, Ryu Bateson. And people fear monsters. Our ancestors' war brought calamity and ruin. Though Zog was defeated, he left the land scarred. Though a Light Dragon, your namesake, saved the world, no one could trust him—because of the blood in his veins. Our curse is to forever have that mantle—Monster—placed upon us. And wherever monsters go, destruction follows."

"Why?" Ryu asked quietly, shocked by the revelation. "Why…why, okasan. Why didn't you tell me?"

_You are mistaken, madam…._

_There is no mistake…Dragon clan._

_Why, okasan?_

"We bring sadness and ruin wherever we go, Ryu," Ray said. "You saved a boy yesterday. But at what cost? I understand that a friend almost died because you gave the order to save a child. What else has happened in your life? What other tragedies have you been involved in? What other horrors have arisen because you were there?"

_Many…too many. The Corsair-Antimodes War…Mina seeing the dead of the village…Eva above…I was there for all of it. Coincidence? No…there was purpose behind each of them. I chose to go there, to each place, I showed others these things, had others fight in these things. I…I display these things like a gallery. The War, the village…Yua. I couldn't find her, I couldn't stop her from disappearing. Yua. Yua. Yua._

Ryu turned away, overcome by horror and revulsion.

But Ray was relentless. "Do you understand now, Ryu? You asked why you hated me. It's because we are the same…the same blood…the same curse—and your blood knows this. We are Dragons, Ryu. We are damned from the moment we were born. Where we take breath, the living stop taking breath. Where we walk, God turns away. Where we exist, misfortune exists.

"I became a cleric of Saint Eva to save people, but most of all, to deny my own blood. I will not bring disaster upon the world I love. But to simply say that I have defeated the curse of my heritage is to invite hubris, the sin that brought our kind's downfall to begin with. No, despite my best efforts—despite anything you, I, or any other Dragon can do—despite everything, we who carry the blood of dragons will be forever sinful, will be forever abominable, in the eyes of God."

Ray touched Ryu's face and this time the ranger did not back away. The cleric's eyes softened. Sadness. Real sadness. Ray closed his eyes. "And this, Ryu Bateson, is the answer you have been seeking."


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: A shorter chapter than normal; next time, we get to see them meet Jean.

**Chapter Thirteen: Voyage**

Ryu did not return to the cabins after his encounter with Ray. After what he had learned, he found it difficult to think, to concentrate; he simply could not face his friends, not with his knowledge of the blood running thick in his veins.

_Monster,_ Ryu thought darkly. _Monster…we who were abandoned by God. Nina must have felt this same loneliness, with her black wings._ He sighed tiredly. Emerald eyes glowed beneath half-closed eyelids. _But it is something I've always felt, this loneliness. Ever since Yua…yes, this feeling isn't anything new. But now I have to be careful. As Ray said, I bring disaster wherever I go. I won't let it touch my comrades._

Ryu decided to get some fresh air, despite the evening's chill. He went to the deck and scaled up the mizzenmast. Gripping the rigging, he let himself hang in the air, the sea breeze cutting through his skin like an icy knife. _This is the feeling of someone alive,_ he thought. _I want to keep feeling this, even if I am a monster._

He had not seen Ray since their conversation earlier that day; the priest had seemingly vanished off the boat, though other passengers reported that he had gone into his private quarters. _I want to see that man again,_ Ryu thought. _He can tell me so much about what I am. I am a dragon—I should know what I have to expect. Better for monsters to survive by playing their parts than to pretend I'm something I can never be._

His thoughts were interrupted by a call from below. "Hey! Hey, Ryu!" It was Katt. The Woren cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Hey, what're you doing up there? You got to be freezing way up there. Get down here, stupid!"

Ryu smiled quietly. _She's loud enough to wake the dead,_ he thought fondly, sliding down the rigging. "You don't need to yell," he said calmly. "I can hear you perfectly well. I have very good hearing."

She planted hands on hips in exasperation. "Yet another one of your amazing talents, eh? I take it that having a thick hide's one of them too? How else are you able to stay up there in this cold? I have _fur_, and even I'm cold!"

"That's because you don't dress for the weather," he pointed out, indicating her daring attire.

"What?" she said, affecting a hurt expression. She sidled up nearer to him and tilted her head to look into his eyes. "Don't you like it?" she whispered seductively.

Ryu felt a bit hot, despite the breeze. _I can see where this is going,_ he thought, not unpleasantly. _Eva's backside, I can see right down her—stop that!_ He took a calming breath to settle himself and said smoothly, "If you're a gladiator, I'm sure that it's a marvelous costume."

She smiled knowingly. "You're avoiding the question, Ryu," she said, voice still soft. Her hand snaked up his side and traced his pectorals before finally settling on his shoulder. "I asked if _you_ liked it."

Ryu locked gazes with her. The intensity and seriousness of his expression stilled Katt's playfulness. But then the ranger smiled. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Her catlike grin took in her ears. "Of course." She folded her hands on his shoulder and rested her chin on them. She whispered into his ear, "Aren't you?"

"I admit, I'm very flattered by the attention."

He felt a soft tongue flick at his earlobe and no amount of discipline or calmness could suppress the delighted shiver that coursed through his body. Katt saw this and smiled all the wider. "You can get a lot more attention…if you play with me."

"Playing is fun," Ryu said, a little breathlessly.

"Playing _is_ fun," Katt agreed. "And do you know the game we're playing?"

"'Seduction of the innocent?'" Ryu asked with an ironic grin.

Katt's green eyes glittered with mischief. "How about 'hard to get?'" Suddenly, she shoved Ryu onto his rump and made a quick turn away, striking a pose. Her tail swished left and right as she walked off.

Ryu grinned and then laughed aloud. His was a pure, soul-cleaning laugh, purging his mind of the dark thoughts that had taken residence for the past few hours. He was grateful to the Woren for the spiritual diversion she unintentionally brought. "An interesting game, kitty Katt," he murmured to himself once she left. "I wouldn't mind playing again. Double or nothing."

* * *

"Well! That was fun," Katt exclaimed as she burst into the cabin the party shared. Ryu was still on the deck and Sten had gone off, leaving Katt alone with Nina. The fiery Woren decided to regale her rival with tales of her victory. "I just talked to Ryu," she drawled pleasantly. That got the Windian's attention; Katt smirked. "And by talk I mean 'play.'"

Nina looked away. "So…you really want to do this?"

"Of course!" said Katt. "I mean, we both like him, right? It isn't fair that one of us should just back down. What's the point of having any feelings for that stone statue if you're just going to give up? I say, keep fighting—and may the best woman win."

Nina asked quietly, "But one of us is going to get hurt. Even now…even now I-I feel bitter. B-because you went t-to him." She felt a strong and comforting hand squeeze her shoulder. Katt sat down beside her with a serious countenance.

"Nina," the Woren began, "you're my friend. I don't want to hurt you and I don't want to see you hurt."

"Then why this?" the Windian demanded. "Why the games? The rivalry? This…this could make us stop being friends."

"Because if it were any other way…if it were any other way, you'd just cheapen your feelings for Ryu!" Katt looked at her hard and Nina—to her shock—saw the beginnings of tears in those green eyes. "I already asked you if your feelings were genuine. You said yes. Prove it. To me and to him. Prove that you really care. Even if they turn out to be false, you'll at least be confident that you know you did your best to make it work—that's what the games are for, Nina. To prove your feelings—not just to me or him, but to the person it most matters: yourself."

"Katt…."

"I won't give up my feelings without making sure they're my real feelings," Katt said with conviction. "You shouldn't either. To that end, I'm willing to take you as my rival. That is the responsibility I accept because of this game. Do you understand?"

Nina nodded. "I think I do. I…I'm kind of jealous, Katt."

The Woren blinked in genuine surprise. "Why?"

"Because you live so honestly with yourself." Nina shook her head sadly. "I don't think I could do that as readily as you. But to find out if my feelings for Ryu are more than just a simple infatuation…for that, I'll try and be like you. So…so next time…yes…next time I'll definitely try my best. I won't just wait for the other shoe to drop, or for him to come to me. I'll be the best damn rival you'll ever face."

Katt grinned. "That's my girl." She gathered the Windian up in a tight embrace. "No matter what happens, I promise I won't let this game break our friendship. If I lose…I…will accept it. Even though I don't like losing," she added with a touch of bitterness.

"I'll strive for the same," Nina promised with equal gravity. Then she giggled. "So get ready, Katt Chuan. You've had your fun with him—now it's my turn."

* * *

Sten wandered around the deck, simply enjoying the breeze. It was quiet, it was night. No one could bother him when it was night. _It was night when Goonheim fell,_ he remembered grimly. _I guess I just keep enjoying tha' night because…because I can see tha' faces of me friends again. Even if it hurts._

"Hoi, ye shouldn't be up here at this hour," came a call from behind. Sten turned and saw a lanky Highlander approaching, an one-eyed sailor bearing the scars of a long life at sea. In the dark, Sten could barely make out the Highlander's features, but they seemed vaguely familiar.

The same was not true for the sailor, who was used to looking out into the night sea for dangers in the water. His eyes widened in surprise and recognition. "By me mother's grave," the sailor breathed, "Sten Legacy! Captain!"

Sten started at that, the mention of his rank only confirmation of the dread he felt. _No, no no no!_ Sten backed up against the rail. No escape. "How do ye know that name?" he demanded through lips stiff with the pain of buried memories.

"Can ye not recognize me, captain?" the sailor asked with a wide smile. "'Tis me, Bourchef, yer old aide. After Goonheim, I decided to retire and become a sailor. It's been ten years, captain! We ye never returned to Highfort? We thought ye had died."

Sten turned away from the sailor's happy face. He could not bear to look into those smiling eyes. "It would 'ave been better if I had," he murmured.

"Captain?"

"Do they still sing songs about me?" Sten asked suddenly. "Do they still praise the 'heroism' of Stenanil Legacy, Lord of tha' Highest House, Keeper of tha' Iron Blades, Captain Supreme of His Majesty's Army?" He spoke each title with cruel bitterness. "Do they still say I saved Goonheim?"

"Of course," said Bourchef. "Ye're tha' hero of so many battles, captain! Once the others learn of yer being alive, we'll offer our swords to ye once again, ye'll see!"

"That's tha' last thing I want ye to do," Sten said quietly. "I don't want anyone to do that again."

But Bourchef did not hear his soft words. "Captain! With ye at our side again, leading us into battle, we will surely bring back tha' glory days of our countrymen! We'll go o'er tha' world and vanquish the monsters that crop up like worms in tha' woodwork! Ye'll see, ye'll see!"

The sailor's exuberance made Sten want to puke. _No, never again. Not _ever_ again._ "Don't talk to me," he said gruffly. "Sten Legacy is dead. Has been for ten years." The former captain brushed past his old comrade and retreated into the ship, leaving Bourchef to watch in confusion.

* * *

Ray Bradoc sat in quiet meditation in his private quarters, the finest on the ship. He was stripped to the waist, his slender, compact build indicative of long training and conditioning. But more so than the physique of a martial artist, he had the ironclad discipline of a fighting master—the rocking of the boat, the creak of the hull, none of this even fazed his single-minded focus.

In such a trance, Ray Bradoc thought on many things: he reflected on his past sins, prayed silently for forgiveness, asked God for guidance in his life and in his quest. He thought on how to perfect himself, on how to become a better servant of Saint Eva. He thought on how to best approach the obstacles that presented themselves on his holy quest to eliminate the evil incidents cropping up. He even thought about the day he, an orphaned waif, had been taken in by Father Habaruku and given a new life.

But this day, Ray Bradoc focused on a man, a young man with blue hair—a descendant of the forgotten Light Dragons. _Ryu Bateson_, the cleric thought. _Such an interesting person. He did not even know the full extent of his blood until today. Perhaps he can be of use to the church? Surely another dragon will only strengthen Eva's ranks._

_Yes,_ he thought with finality. _Yes, I will approach him again, show him what the church of Saint Eva can give him, if he would only join us. And…and it would be pleasant to speak with someone like me. It would be good if we became…friends._


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: The initial dream sequence is for those who can't read between the lines. I've hinted at it throughout the story (in fact, I've been pretty blatant with it considering all of his memories of Yua and Gate), but the dream sequence in chapter fourteen spells out precisely why Ryu seems so detached from everything. 

As for the rock-paper-scissors game? Yeah. I like that idea. As you've noticed, I don't play favorites with the girls.

**Chapter Fourteen: Prince Charming**

_I don't live in the present. I left myself behind ten years ago, and I've been aimless ever since. _

_Yes, I never did leave Gate, did I? I never forgot what happened, even though I can't make sense of it. I never…I never left. _

_I'm dreaming again. _

_It's the Eye again. That strange Eye. It frightened me, as a child. I didn't know what it was. It kept calling out to me…"Awaken, my destined child." I didn't want to wake up. If I woke up…when I woke up…Yua…otousan…everyone…disappeared. No, I don't want to wake up._

"_Awaken, my destined child!"_

_It speaks more insistently, the Eye. But…it doesn't scare me anymore. I don't know why. But it sounds…softer…warmer…I see wings. I see bat wings. I see the Eye—and I feel safe. I think I'm in Gate again. Wait…I never left._

"_Awaken, my destined child!"_

_It wants me to wake up, the Eye wants me to open my eyes. But doesn't it know? If I wake up, I won't be able to see Yua again. Not until I go to sleep again and dream. I want to sleep, please let me sleep! I want to stay with Yua. I want to stay with otousan and Yua. Don't let me wake up._

"AWAKEN, DESTINED CHILD!"

_It isn't the warm voice anymore. No, I remember this voice—it haunts my darkest nightmares. The monster I met in the caverns…the evil worm that almost killed me. I bear the scars of the meeting still. No, I don't want to wake up, because I know that beast is still out there…waiting…waiting for me to wake up. Let me sleep. I don't want to wake up._

"Wake up!"

_Not the monster. Not the warm voice or the Eye. Someone else's voice._

"Wake up, Ryu! Come on, sleepyhead!"

_So insistent…like the Eye…but it isn't the Eye._

"All right, you asked for it, lazy-butt!"

Ryu crashed on the floor in a heap, knocking his head against the boards. "Ow! Damn it. Katt? What the hell are you doing?"

The Woren smirked mischievously and bent over, putting her hands against her knees. Ryu tried not to look at the expansive cleavage on display.

"What are you doing?" he asked again, his reserve slightly shaken.

Katt only grinned, as if at some private joke. "You were sleeping and drooling all over your shirt. I just woke you up! Come on—we're going to land soon."

"All right…I'm up, I'm up." He gathered his sword and boots, putting both on before scrambling to his feet. "Let's go."

Sten and Nina were already on deck, waiting for them. Beyond was the forests of the western continent, a land that none of them had ever visited. Nina looked eager at the prospect of traveling to a new land, as did Katt; Sten and Ryu, both seasoned adventurers, were more subdued. To them, it was just another trip.

_Let's hope the thief is near,_ Ryu thought. _This traveling has taken me further afield than I originally expected. Bow, wait for me._

As the party disembarked, the ranger felt something dark and bitter swell in his belly—hatred, boiling and twisting and poisoning. "Ray," he muttered grimly, without bothering to turn around.

Indeed, the cleric stood behind Ryu, a serene smile on his handsome face. "A good morning to you, Mr. Bateson," he greeted merrily, as if they had not exchanged words the day before. "I hope I find you in good spirits?"

Ryu gave the cleric a withering glare of such intensity that it would have killed any other man. _You are a dragon,_ Ryu thought, recalling Ray's words. _A dragon, a dragon, a dragon._ The damning words flowed in his mind like a mantra, ever reminding him of the tragedy he was fated to bring wherever he went. The fact that Ray was the one to introduce him to this truth only gave Ryu justification for hatred.

"I would be in better spirits if I were in better company," the ranger said nastily.

But Ray just smiled pleasantly. "I see. It can't be helped. Well, at any rate, you and I will be parting ways here; I head south, for Farm Town. Where will your roads take you, if I may ask?"

"Simafort," Ryu answered. His voice grew low and laden with threat. "Try to stay away from there for a while—I'd rather not make a scene by slicing you in two."

Again, Ray just continued smiling with infinite patience. "It can't be helped," he said again. Then he walked past the ranger and left the ship. Ryu watched him leave, emerald eyes burning baleful holes into the cleric's back.

His focus was interrupted by Nina, who flew over to him and said, "Ryu! There you are—come on, the ship's going to depart again, so you better get moving." Her azure eyes softened in concern. "Is something the matter?"

Ryu held his gaze on Ray's retreating back for a moment longer and then looked at her. He forced a smile that he did not really feel. "I'm fine. Sorry to keep you all waiting."

* * *

"Forests…make it difficult…for my kind to walk around," Nina muttered in irritation, trying her best to fold up her wings so they would not snag on bushes and tree branches. She met only limited success.

"This is a great deal like me own home," Sten said with a touch of reminiscence. "Trees all around, things to wrap yer fingers 'round. 'Tis a kingdom of gyms, Highfort is. But nothing but nothing but nothing ever beats a good old fashioned forest for making good climbing, aye?" The Highlander was in the trees, jumping from branch to branch and making excellent headway.

"I think it's stuffy," Katt whined. "I like grasslands. Plenty of air. Here, my fur's getting burrs." She brushed aside some offensive thorns to illustrate. "Ugh. I'll have to scrub my damn hair off just to make sure I don't pick up anything with more than two legs."

Nina looked at her askance, wondering if that was supposed to be some kind of sexual innuendo.

Ryu listened to it all in his usual silence. He had point, scouting ahead with his senses alert to any noise or flash of movement. More than once had unsavory monsters or bandits attacked him and Bow while traveling through supposedly safe woodlands.

His alertness paid off; he head croaking. _Loud_ croaking.

"That isn't normal," he muttered. He hailed his comrades. "Something's behind this line of trees. I want to check it out."

What they found made them blink. And then blink again.

"What…?" Katt said in confusion.

Before them was the largest frog any of them had ever seen. Perhaps it was like the turtle beneath Capitan, a mutant monster of tremendous ferocity…only it had the most petulant and, quite frankly, effeminate eyes ever to grace any mortal creature.

"Merci, merci," the frog ribbited. "Hail passing travelers! I am Jean de Tapeta, prince of Simafort and the Creeping Clan! If you would be so kind, dear heroes, come to my aid! I am under a spell of enchantment, laid upon me by a wandering…uh…enchantress, yes!"

"A…prince," Nina repeated, as if trying to puzzle through that simple statement. "A prince…is a big frog. Right."

"Y'know, I eat grilled frogs sometimes," Katt said, which seemed to unsettle the loquacious amphibian.

_Tapeta,_ Sten thought, recognizing the name. _We worked for them once. In their last war o' succession. Jean de Tapeta. Aye, I remember him being passingly stupid, the mangy git._

Sten tapped Ryu on the shoulder. "He's telling the truth," he said simply and the finality of his tone brooked no further inquiry into how he knew. But the ranger did not press the point.

"It seems my friend can corroborate your claim, Your Highness," Ryu said to the frog. "You said an enchantress turned you into this…ahem…form?"

If frogs could nod, Jean was.

"I swear by my family's crest that I did nothing to provoke her, dear heroes," the prince exclaimed, wounded. "I…ah…noticed her loneliness, living in her tower yonder…and…ahem, sought to alleviate her…ah…loneliness. Ahem."

Ryu rubbed the bridge of his nose. _Why me?_ To the frog, he asked in tired tones, "So how do we reverse the effect?"

"A kiss from a maiden pure!" the frog said, far too happily.

Of course, all eyes went to Katt and Nina, both of whom looked at each other. "You're kidding," they said in unison. "No fucking way in hell!" said Katt, while Nina, in less vulgar terms, said, "Absolutely not!"

Ryu explained the situation in clearer and more urgent terms. "If he's the prince of Simafort—and Sten somehow knows this to be true—then he can help us find the thief; after all, he's the prince. Even if the thief isn't in the kingdom, then we can at least have the Creeping Clan search for the thief in a shorter time than we could alone." He turned to the frog. "How about it, Prince de Tapeta? We need to find someone—will you use your royal powers to help us?"

"Oui, oui!" said the frog eagerly. "Anything, so long as I receive that kiss—erm, that is, so I can return to my usual handsome self!"

"Handsome self, huh?" Katt said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Y'know, I've never met a Creeping Clansman before. Wonder what they look like?"

Sten, who had worked with them before, answered, "They look like frogs, Katt."

The Woren just looked at him. "You're kidding. So this…this thing…it's _always_ a frog?" The Highlander nodded. Katt turned to Nina. "Yeah, I ain't kissing it. _You_ kiss it!"

"What!" Nina exclaimed, flabbergasted. "Not me! Why not you? You were so eager before!"

"I thought it was human! I didn't know it was always a frog. Besides, you already got your first kiss from Ryu, so you can get your second from Prince Lizard over there."

"No!"

Katt made a motion as if rolling up a sleeve. "All right, then we'll settle this in a purely democratic fashion. Rock-paper-scissors."

Nina nodded. "All right, that sounds acceptable. Best out of three?"

"Fine."

Nina looked at Sten, Ryu, and the giant frog. "All three of you…turn around! _No one_ looks at who's going to have to…you know."

The two men and frog obediently turned away. They could hear the girls behind them: "Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors!" There was a hiss of defeat and an elated yelp of victory—but the girls spoke in unison and in low voices, making it difficult to tell who lost.

"Ah, mademoiselle, you are a stunning—"

"You needn't rub it in…."

"Can it, Lizard Lips!"

"Oh dear."

Ryu just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. _Why me?_ he thought again.

There was a popping sound followed by, "Ah, tries bien! I am handsome again." Sten and Ryu turned and saw that Jean de Tapeta still looked like a frog…only human-sized. Katt and Nina were stone silent, their faces betraying nothing about who lost the match.

"Speak nothing, understand, Lizard Lips?" growled Katt.

"Or you'll become the enemy of half the world population—the female half," threatened Nina.

"You have my word of honor," said the prince solemnly, "that I shan't betray your trust, dear ladies. Now that I am restored, let me welcome you to my homeland of Simafort! I will hold a feast for your heroism and then write a song about you!"

"So he's a bard, too," Sten noted. After hearing Jean sing a few adlibbed stanzas, the Highlander commented, "Lyrics aren't bad, but his singing voice is better than his skill as a composer."

"I don't have an ear for music," Ryu said dryly. "Prince Jean, after the banquet—if not possibly sooner—would you be able to render aid to our quest?"

"Certainly!" Jean said gaily. "How may I be of assistance to my saviors?"

"We seek a thief," said the ranger. "A girl of about seventeen or eighteen. She has hair like mine, blue eyes, and bat wings on her back. We seek to bring her to Hometown, so that my friend—who was framed for her crimes—will be vindicated."

"A noble goal!" said Jean "And of what merry consequence! By coincidence, such a lady passed through Simafort but recently. She attempted to steal a few items from the palace treasury and, from what I last recall, is being kept in solitary confinement."

Nina grasped Ryu's arms, elated. "We did it!" she said happily. "Your friend will be cleared!"

"All right!" said Katt, punching the air. "Now we can go back and see Rand and Bow again."

"So our journey's about finished, aye?" said Sten bemusedly. "Funny, I'd hoped to stick with ye all a bit longer. Maybe ye'll still have room for this old man in yer future travels, eh?"

_They all think that it's going to be over soon,_ Ryu thought. _But with our luck…hell…with our luck, we've only just been scratching at the surface._ He smiled, finding humor in it all. It was probably the first genuine smile he had in a good long time. _Yeah, I wouldn't mind that at all. We're coming Bow…and then you can get us right back into trouble again._


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: I hated Simafort. Absolutely hated it. It was the stupidest quest in my opinion and the shoddy (read, bloody annoying) music didn't do much for my mood, either. So there's been some major revisions to make the experience less painful. If it took a while to update, its because I hated writing about Simafort. Anyway, this chapter's a bit longer, but I'm sure everyone will enjoy the ending of it. 

Translation note: Yasashiburi means "long time no see."

**Chapter Fifteen:** Masks and Names 

"So this is Simafort, huh?" Katt said, staring at the extravagantly gaudy decor with wide eyes. "I feel like I'm in some kind of jewelry box."

"It _is_ rather…um…stifling," agreed Nina, who was more accustomed to such displays of wealth when she was much younger, before her exile. She passed by a marvelously-woven tapestry and ran an appraising eye over it. "I had heard that the Creeping Clan enjoys the arts, but some of these paintings—and not to mention these vases—they would fetch princely sums in Windia or Hometown."

"They are an artistic people," Sten said learnedly. "Music, painting, sculpting, writing…they are naturals at it. Tha' only ones who can exceed their skill are tha' Tunlan, and that's only in the realm o' song and music."

"You sound like you know them quite intimately, Sten," Nina commented.

The Highlander shrugged. "I helped their current king take command during their last war of succession. I was a mercenary back then."

"That's right," Nina murmured, as if reminding herself, "Highlanders are all mercenaries, aren't they?"

Sten ruffled his fur irritably. "That's a bit o' an overgeneralization, lass, but more or less an accurate one."

Ahead of them, Jean and Ryu were conversing. Or more precisely, Jean was talking while Ryu simply ignored him while pretending to listen. "I shall compose a melody for you, the brave leader of my brave saviors!" Jean was saying. "I shall entitle it, 'The Blue Haired Knight!' What say you? Surely a strapping young fellow such as yourself has had romanticized dreams of the holy warrior astride his noble and white steed, armor and mail gleaming like mirrors in the dawning light, your sword held majestically high! By the way, might I ask where _ever_ did you get that dye for your hair? It's simply fabulous. Very rich, if I do say."

_This one talks too much,_ Ryu thought painfully. _But I must endure it. We near our quarry at last, and he can expedite matters. Still, I wish he would stop talking. It…hurts._

The party arrived at the gates to Simafort Castle, with the ranger only half-mad from Jean's circumlocutions about ballads and Ryu's hair color.

"My subjects!" Jean declared loudly upon seeing the gate guards, who were moving toward him with their halberds strangely at the ready. "Your lord and prince has arrived at last! Hail and well met, my brethren! Huh?" Jean blinked his bulbous eyes as the guards shackled his wrists and prodded him into the castle.

"What's going on?" Katt asked, half-crouched to burst into action. "I thought they were going to help us out?"

Nina took a step toward the guards, ready to demand an answer, but Ryu reached out a hand and took her elbow. She stopped and saw that he was looking up. She followed his gaze and a saw a sniper hidden behind a windowsill two stories above…and arrow trained on them.

"Hail travelers," said one of the guards once Jean was taken away. "I apologize for this, but the man you were with is an imposter. The true Prince Jean de Tapeta is here in the castle, overseeing the remilitarization of the country."

"Remilitarization?" Ryu asked.

"Who gave him that power?" Sten cut in sharply. "Tha' war o' succession was declared over on tha' condition that tha' satellite states and country proper o' Simafort would put down their arms for a period o' twenty years. It's only been fourteen."

"The Prince believes such trappings no longer applicable to the mighty nation of Simafort," the guard replied easily. "The satellite states will eventually see the correctness of our path and put the war behind them. The last traces of the civil war will disappear under the unification of Simafort under Prince de Tapeta."

"And what o' tha' King?" Sten pressed, smelling something ill in the wind. "You said Jean de Tapeta will unify tha' nation under him. What happens to tha' King?"

"Oh, this all happens with his approval," the guard said evasively. "If you will excuse me, I have my rounds to attend to. Please, visit our tour guides if you wish to see our famed country." The guard bowed crisply and went back into the castle.

Suddenly, Katt bopped Sten on the head. "Old man! You got some explaining to do."

The Highlander looked at her crossly. "That isn't tha' proper way to talk to yer elders, lass."

"Spill!" the Woren demanded.

"I, too, am curious," said Ryu quietly. Sten looked at him. The ranger stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a cold expression on his face. "I, of course, was not old enough to participate in the war of succession, but I remember my history lessons. You sense it too, don't you, Sten?"

The Highlander nodded. "Aye, lad. Something very fishy is going on here. Something dark and evil. Someone's playing for mighty high stakes."

Katt growled in annoyance. "What the hell are you two talking about?"

Nina laid a calming hand on her friend. "Let them speak and perhaps they'll tell you, Katt."

"Aye. Now listen up. Here's tha' short o' it. Twenty years ago, tha' old King died. Officially, he died o' rheum. Fell down a stair as a result, they say. But some say it was assassination. Tha' King left no heirs, for his three sons all died before him. Creeping Clan politics being what they were in those days, every noble household all over tha' country were checking their bloodlines to see who was tha' closest relative to tha' throne. Of course, some houses tried to forge claims on tha' crown, which led to disputes."

"The war of succession," Nina said.

"Aye. Now, in those days, Simafort was divided into about six different provinces—satellite states that paid lip service to tha' crown, based in Simafort proper. Because of that, there was no unified military. Mercenaries were hired by each of tha' states to fight tha' war—I was one o' them.

"Eventually, House de Tapeta defeated all other opponents and claimed tha' crown for their own. Not everyone was happy, of course; House de Tapeta had a reputation for…stupidity, to put it bluntly."

Nina and Katt looked at it each other. "Jean," they said in unison.

Sten grinned despite himself. "To placate tha' dissident factions and to restore public order, King de Tapeta, Jean's father, agreed to sign a demilitarization treaty. Tha' provinces and Simafort proper would all disarm, keeping only enough weapons to equip a small militia. National defense was basically shut down. This was fine with everyone, though, since Simafort is located in a tactically useless region; few invaders would bother sacking this country. And that's today's history lesson," Sten finished with a chuckle.

"But what does that have to do with all this?" Katt asked, still confused.

Ryu stepped in. "The demilitarization treaty was designed to keep the peace throughout _all_ of Simafort, including the satellite states. For anyone—and especially for someone from the de Tapeta family—to undermine it is to risk angering the states. In other words, 'Jean de Tapeta' is setting the stage for a another civil war."

"No matter how stupid tha' de Tapetas are," said Sten, "they aren't idiots when it comes to politics. They wouldn't risk their power and standing for something like this. Throwing their country into another war would be political suicide."

"That still doesn't answer what just happened here," Nina said. "The Jean we know just got arrested under orders of someone claiming to be him."

"Sounds like a conspiracy to me," Ryu said. "And I, for one, want to investigate. The thief's in Simafort somewhere, and we need Jean to get to her." _And, of course, I was right about our luck. Hell, I should just put up a sign that says, 'Ryu Bateson: Strange Events, inquire within.'_

* * *

Within the dungeons of Simafort—which were also nicely decorated, even if not as grandly as elsewhere in the castle—Jean de Tapeta painted. It was an unusual incarceration and it made Ryu and the others blink.

"Um, Jean?" Nina asked, putting her hands against the bars, "we're going to get you of here."

"Oh, how wonderful!" said Jean with a broad smile. He then went back to his painting. "A bit of red here, oh, yes, most wonderful!" He looked back at her. "Do take your time in securing my release, Miss Nina. I have still a ways to go with this."

Nina's jaw practically fell to the floor. _Well, Sten was right about him being stupid,_ she thought.

"Aren't you worried about some guy posing as you?" Katt asked.

"No. Not really. I never wanted to be a prince, anyway." Jean slapped some blue onto the canvas. "Ah, lovely. You see, I know I'm not very responsible. But I want to do at least some good in the world, like any decent soul. I figured traveling was the ideal way to do that. Didn't work out too well, though; imprisoned on my first trip back. Must be my luck. Ah, that indigo was genius!"

There was a clanging sound. Katt was banging her head against the bars. "How can anyone be so carefree?" she grumbled.

"The legendary de Tapeta mentality strikes again," Sten murmured.

"Sten, if you can hold the bars, I can pick the lock," said Ryu, getting right down to business. "It's been a while, but these tumblers don't look too complicated."

Suddenly, a strong and authoritative voice said, "I wouldn't if I were you, foreigner. After all, that man is an imposter." A large and majestic Creeping Clansman entered the dungeons, a female and several guards beside him. The female did not look at all happy.

"May I introduce my sister, the Princess Petape," said the large man. "And I am Prince Jean de Tapeta, heir apparent of Simafort."

"You're _not_ my brother," shouted the princess at the man. She looked to the jail cell and saw the man within. She went over to the bars. "Brother Jean!"

Jean looked up and smiled. "Oh, hello, sister. How do you fare this fine day?"

"Jean! It _is_ you!" said the princess. "No one could be so stupid or so carefree. Brother, show them the ring! Your royal ring! Prove to them all that this man is an imposter!"

"Oh? This thing?" Jean took a fine ivory band out of his pocket. The little trinket bore the family crest of the de Tapetas.

The princess turned a smug look on the so-called 'Jean.' "Well, imposter?"

The large man smiled in such a way as to be disarming. It came out looking wicked. "My _dear_ sister. Of course this man is lying. _I_ have my ring right here." And he showed his own, identical to every degree. The princess' mouth sagged open and even Jean looked surprised.

Ryu watched the exchange grimly. _If this is a conspiracy,_ he thought, _it's a damn good one. Forging a royal ring takes skill. I can't even think of anyone who could pull off something like that. Who is this man?_

The ranger trained his senses on the man claiming to be Jean de Tapeta. He was elegant, to be sure, with perfectly inflected enunciation and poise. He could very well be a nobleman. But to say he was Jean de Tapeta? _No…he's far, far too cunning. He's like a fox, not a frog. There's a hunger in those eyes of his…wait…that smell…tobacco? No…not tobacco._

Ryu looked at Katt and saw her fur bristling. _Of course,_ he thought. _Worens have an uncanny sense of smell. She must have recognized the scent, too. Sulfur._

The ranger grabbed Katt's wrist and held her firmly. "Not yet," he whispered. She nodded in understanding.

"Please, honored travelers," said the disguised demon, "allow me to give you a tour of my humble home. These dusty dungeons are not fit for foreign guests."

"With all do respect, your majesty, but my companions and I have overstayed our welcome," Ryu said quickly. "If you don't mind, we will rest at an inn instead. Royal food and hospitality, while certainly excellent, will tax our humbler senses."

With that, Ryu practically dragged his comrades out of the castle. All the while, Jean de Tapeta kept on painting.

* * *

"What's going on, Ryu?" Nina asked as soon as they left the castle. The Windian looked at Katt and saw the grim set to her jaw. "Katt?"

"Didn't you smell it?" the Woren asked her.

"Smell what?"

Katt and Ryu shared a look. She turned to Nina and answered grimly, "Sulfur."

Nina blinked and then nodded in sudden understanding. "Another demon…like Joker."

"And like Angus, who we killed in Corsair," added Ryu. "It seems that the imposter posing as Jean de Tapeta has designs that extend farther than simply undermining the King's policies."

"A demon in disguise could have many motives," Katt said warily. "Not that I'm going to bother figuring out what they are—let's just pound the dirt-bag into the ground already!" She slammed a fist into her palm for emphasis.

"Easy there, lass," Sten said soothingly. "From what I've been hearing, these demon types are a bit out of our league."

"We defeated two of them before, Sten," said Ryu.

"That doesn't mean ye'll survive a third, boy," the Highlander retorted. "We have to play this smart—we have to figure out how to prove he isn't tha' real Jean de Tapeta and then turn all of Simafort against him. _Then_ it'll be easier to defeat him, once we get a thousand frogs fighting alongside us."

Nina nodded in agreement. "The question, of course, is how to expose him for the fraud that he is."

Ryu was already three steps ahead on that one. "If you want to get someone in trouble, hire a thief," he said, a daring plan formulating in his mind. "Let's get back to the dungeons; we need to see Jean again."

Katt groaned. "More of the carefree fool," she grumbled.

As it turned out, Ryu only needed to ask Jean a single question: "Where is the female thief?"

"Oh, her?" said Jean, who was still working on a painting—it looked like some sort of lakeside sunset. "I do believe she is being held in the detention cells through that gated portcullis, at the end of the hall. Why ever do you ask?"

Ryu answered calmly, "She's going to prove that you're telling the truth." He went through the portcullis without hesitation. Indeed, he felt giddy. _She can help Jean,_ he knew with certainty, _but she can also…help me. And not just with Bow. That girl…the hair, the eyes, the wings. Okasan had those wings._ Ryu trembled at the very possibility. Something was growing inside him…it was hope._ Can it be? Is it possible? I have to see her again. I have to know._

The others followed close behind the ranger. Nina watched him, noted the purposeful strides and the set of his strong jaw. _It's like he's someone else,_ she thought. _Like back in the Joker's hideout…only not grim. Just…determined. He looks afraid…but hopeful at the same time. Why?_

The thief that they had been searching for was lying on a cot in a nondescript jail cell. She was a pretty thing, petite and slender, with long blue hair like Ryu's, done up in a high ponytail. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the dungeon's dim lighting. The distinctive leathery bat wings curled around her like a cloak, parted in the middle.

When Ryu first laid eyes on her, back in Hometown, he only caught the barest glimpse. Now he studied her. Something tugged at the edges of his consciousness. _A memory…of soft blue eyes. The hair, the eyes, the wings…can it be? I mean, it could have been a possibility—just a dream, a hope, a figment—back in Hometown. Because it was only a glimpse, I tried not to think about what it could mean. Hope isn't something people should bank things on. But now that I see her, really see her…can it be?_

"Eh?" the thief said, noticing someone at her door. "Who're you?" The blue eyes glimmered. The blue hair flashed. _A flash of blue hair. A memory of soft blue eyes._

"A ranger," Ryu said, somewhat distractedly. He jerked a thumb at his friends. "With backup. You'll be coming with me."

She did not look impressed. "Huh. So, a bounty hunter comes looking for me, eh? Who sent you? Trout?"

"A friend," the ranger answered, pushing away his hopes and doubts behind a wall of professionalism. Work had ever been his refuge when he was uncertain. "You stole something from Trout, and left him to take the fall."

"Ah," said the thief. "The Grassrunner. Yeah, I didn't mean for that to happen." She shrugged. "But shit happens in this line of work, y'know? Can't blame me for all of it. Had your friend been more competent, he would've hauled his hairy ass out of there."

Nina turned an aristocratic nose at the coarse girl. "So where'd you come from?" she asked snidely. "Were you raised by monkeys on Mount Manori?"

Sten prodded her in the back, hard. Nina blushed. "Sorry, Sten."

The thief smirked. "You've got quite a lip, for a rich girl, or that isn't Pupa perfume I smell on you."

Ryu pounded a fist against the bars on the door, rattling them. That got everyone's attention. "We're not here to chitchat like old maids at a club," he said. "You're going to help us. Because if you do, we can make things a lot easier for you back in Hometown."

_Can it be?_ Ryu thought, even as he spoke. _The hair and eyes…so much the same. And the wings that only a dragon could have…but its been so long. Yes, she would be about this girl's age, if it were true. Eva help me, don't let my hope disappear._

Ryu continued, "Frankly, I could care less about who you steal from, so long as my friend's name gets cleared. So here's the deal—you help me out with things in Simafort and then come with me to Hometown to clear my friend's name. After that, I secure your release and you're gone scott free." _And once you're free, I can ask you. I can make sure. I should just ask now, get it over with…but I dare not let my hope die so soon. As long as there's the possibility that you're her…as long as I can hold onto that, I can…I…._

The thief seemed to consider for a moment and then leaned against the wall languorously. "Y'know, sounds tempting, it really does…but sounds like too much work. No deal."

"You'd rather rot in this backwater?" Ryu asked, sounding disappointed—and not just because it made his job as a ranger harder. _Please, Eva, please—though I can't believe in you, let me believe in this hope._

"Rot here? Nah," she replied, nonchalantly. "They've only kept me locked up for about a day. I'm just resting now. I'll be picking the lock and getting out myself after I've had something to eat."

A grin crossed the ranger's lips. "It seems you've not done enough reading on the Creeping Clan. They not only look like frogs, but they share the same appetites, too. That means flies and cockroaches for dinner, Miss Thief."

A disgusted look crossed the thief's face—as well as those of Katt and Nina. Sten just smirked, already understanding what Ryu was trying to do.

The ranger pressed the attack. "You're probably going to break free as soon as you can, just to avoid such cuisine, right? Well, I've been told I have the patience of a rock. I can wait right here until you do."_ And as long as I have that hope…I can wait for an eternity._

The thief looked at him nastily. "Seems you've caught me, then. Like hell I'm eating flies." She sighed and threw a hand up in surrender. "All right, I'll be a good girl. Now let me out."

Ryu turned to the Woren. "Katt?"

The Woren simply cracked her knuckles and yanked the lock off the door. The thief stepped out, whistling appreciatively at Katt's strength.

"Name's Patty," the thief said cheerily, extending a hand to the Woren.

"Katt Chuan," she replied.

Nina curtsied. "I'm Nina Windia. I…apologize for my harsh words earlier."

Patty smiled back disarmingly. "No problem. My brother uses to say that I'm a bit of a headcase sometimes, so it's understandable." She looked at Sten. "I don't see many Highlanders this far west."

Sten shrugged. "I get around. Sten Legacy."

"A pleasure, Mister Legacy." Patty finally turned to the ranger, who watched her with a stony face. "And who're you, tall, dark, and depressingly grim?"

Ryu, knowing that this would determine if his hope lives or dies, answered, "Ryu Bateson."

None of the others expected the reaction that came next. But Ryu was praying for it.

Patty's wide, soulful eyes flashed with recognition…then surprise…then disbelief. Her hands, delicate and dexterous—capable of picking any lock and lifting a thousand purses easily—trembled uncontrollably.

"R-Ryu…Bateson," she repeated softly. "Did you say that? Ryu Bateson?"

The ranger nodded, slowly, on the verge of tears himself. "Yes."

Katt blinked. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

The Woren asked that question because Patty had started to cry. Tears ran down her round cheeks. "No," the thief said happily. "No, everything's right. Everything's just right." She never took her gaze off Ryu. Indeed, she addressed him directly with a trembling smile. "Isn't that right, Ryu?"

_It's true,_ Ryu thought. A part of him expected it, a good deal of him prayed for it, but when confronted by the open truth, he could only stand there, stunned. _It's true,_ the thought ran through his mind at the speed of lightning even as it crawled like a snail. It lingered, rolled, and danced within his soul. _It's true, it's true, it's true._

And then Ryu moved. He swept the girl in his arms, holding her close, never wanting to let go. He did not care that Katt was glaring daggers of jealousy into his back, or that Nina was aghast at his apparent boldness, or even that Sten was smirking mischievously. He did not care what anyone else saw. He knew whom he held in his arms, he knew whose heart was beating softly against his. He remembered.

A flash of blue hair.

A memory of soft blue eyes.

Both were solid, real in his arms.

For so long, Past and Present were distinct and separate, distanced by memory. But now Past and Present merged and danced together. And Ryu could feel it. The loneliness that had threatened to consume him for so many years since Gate…it was gone.

And he held the reason in his arms.

Patty murmured into his shirt, "Yasashiburi, Ryu-niisan."


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Notes: We're halfway there! The next couple of chapters will take longer, simply because I'm planning out some major deviations from canon. As such, to preserve the gist and spirit of the game, I need more time to organize the altered plot.

At any rate, I'm taking a bit of a break, so here's a little something that has absolutely nothing to do with the story.

Translation note: "Omake" is basically a special. Like a Christmas Special or something. Or a toy you get in a cereal box.

**It's A Padding-Out-the-Midpoint-of-the-Fanfic Happy-Happy Omake Special!**

All: _"It's Omake Fun-Fun Time!"_

(Setting is a lounge)

Sten: So what's all this for?

Bow/Boche: Dunno. Ryu gave Aspara and me tickets.

Rand: I got mine from Rinpoo. How'd you get in, Sten?

Sten: (smiles innocently)

(Boche and Rand share a wary glance)

Both: Right. Not asking.

Sten: Anyway, what _is_ all this for? I mean, it's a pretty ritzy lounge. I didn't know Ryu knew anyone on this end of the social ladder.

Rand: He said something about knowing the singers.

Sten: (excited) Really? Are they cute? I hear that the girls here are real cute.

Boche: (also excited) I should hope so!

Spar/Aspara: So what exactly is this…lounge singing?

Boche: It's an event where you can watch sexy girls dress in super-sexy outfits!

Rand: Ahem. More precisely, it's entertainment. People sing to people having dinner in a "lounge" like this one.

Spar: How every intriguing.

Sten: And don't forget the girls!

Rand: Shh! It's starting!

(Stage lights come on; Nina enters, dressed to kill in a glimmering, hip-hugging black slip. She is followed by Katt/Rinpoo, who is dressed in red silk with the skirt slit up both sides and with a dipping V-cut that goes down to her navel. Bleu/Deis also follows, dressed in a dark blue top cut like Rinpoo's)

(Background beat begins; the girls are strutting around in a triangle around the microphone stands. They finally stop at the microphones with Nina as lead singer, Rinpoo to her left, and Deis to her right.)

Nina: (leans in) Better listen up, girls.

Rinpoo: (shaking a finger) Better leave your umbrellas at home.

Deis: Better get out of the house, because…

All three: …according to all sources, the streets are the place to go!

Nina: 'Cause tonight, for the first time, just about half past ten—

Rinpoo: For the first time in history—

Deis: (grabs her mike off the stand, heads to the edge of the stage and belts) It's gonna start raining men!

All three: It's raining men! Hallelujah, it's raining men. Amen!

Nina: I'm gonna go out and gonna let myself get—

All three: (all three girls run their hands down their breasts, bellies, and thighs, mimicking the flow of water) Absolutely soaking wet!

Rinpoo: (solo; background beat quiets) It's raining men! (background beat resumes)

Hallelujah, it's raining men! Every specimen—

Deis: Tall, blonde, dark, and lean!

Deis and Rinpoo: (both girls face stage right and slide up and down) Rough and tough and strong as mean!

All three: (all three girls go back into triangle formation and raise their arms above their heads) Gotta thank Mother Nature.

Deis: She's a single woman, too!

Rinpoo: She took over Heaven—

Nina: (emphasizing every word with a shake of her finger) And she did what she had to do!

Deis: She took every angel, she rearranged the sky—

Rinpoo: So that each and every woman—

Nina and Rinpoo: Could find the perfect guy!

Deis: (belts) Oh, it's raining men, yeah!

(Interlude: The girls shuffle across the stage. Then Ryu, Ray, and Ganer come out and each pick up a girl by the waist and twirl them around. The girls dance with the men, with a lot of grinding. They part and spread away, putting the spotlight on Ryu. Ryu dances like there's no tomorrow. Then the girls surround him and he lifts them up, one on each shoulder and one straddling his neck. Then he sets the girls down. He and the men leave the stage.)

Rinpoo: For the first time in history, it's gonna start raining men!

Deis: (belts) It's raining men! Hallelujah it's raining men!

All three: Amen! It's raining men! Oh yeah, Hallelujah, it's raining men!

Deis and Rinpoo: Amen!

Nina: It's raining men!

Deis and Rinpoo: Hallelujah, it's raining men, yeah!

(The girls all bow, to the thunderous applause of the audience. Umbrellas are thrown onto the stage.)

(Focus returns to the boys; Boche, Rand, and Sten are simply dumbfounded. Spar is passive.)

Sten: No…freaking…way. _Nina_ wore _THAT_? _Our_ Nina?

Boche: More like "Rinpoo wore _THAT_?" And why doesn't she wear it more often? Woof!

Rand: I didn't know Ryu could dance.

Boche: I didn't know Ryu could _grind_!

Aspara: What is this…_grinding_ you speak of? It sounds painful and reminds me of the mashing of many small ball-shaped beans with a millstone. Many seeds have been destroyed because of grinding.

Boche: (paling) Yeah, I don't know if that's supposed to be an innuendo or not, but thanks for the mental image.

Aspara: (thoughtfully) It is a catchy tune. And very true—Mother Nature is a single woman, to which I can attest.

Sten: That wasn't the point.

Aspara: I'm sorry? Then what _is_ the point?

Boche and Sten: The dresses, of course!

Rand: (stands up) All right, that's it, I can't stand the inane babble any longer. We're ending this omake right now! Stupid 15 to 20-year old male target audience!

* * *

Author's Note Redux: When you play video games on an emulator while listening to 80s music, you get the urge to write things like this. I don't know about you, but _my_ favorite part was the dresses. And not just any dresses—shiny dresses! Woof! And I love it when singers belt. It just sounds cool. 

Stay tuned for the next half of the Breath of Fire 2 novel and the next omake!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Sixteen: Feelings**

"_Sister_?"

Ryu was smiling at his friends' astonishment. Patty—Yua—was still holding onto him, as if afraid he would disappear if she let go. He shared the sentiment. "Yes. As hard as it is to believe, Patty…Yua…is my sister. I should have realized it sooner, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I mean, it's been ten years…."

"So the little boy finally finds the curious little sister," Nina said with a kind smile. "And the story comes to a happy end."

"For us, anyway," agreed the ranger. "But we still have the demon to deal with." He turned to his sister. "Yua, I need your help. You have to help us prove that the man posing as Prince Jean is an imposter."

Yua blinked. "How? I've only been here a day. It's not like I know any dirt on the guy."

"You're a thief," Ryu reminded her. "Can't you break into his room? Look around for anything?"

"I guess…but that's assuming he has anything incriminating." Despite her obvious reservations, Yua nodded fervently. "But I'll do it." She smiled happily. "I mean, after all, Ryu-niisan can't do anything without me, right?"

The ranger smiled wistfully and then bopped her on the head. "You should be more respectful of your brother," he said.

"Kid sister, huh?" murmured Katt, watching the siblings. _Ryu's acting so differently now…he's…not so serious anymore. He's happy._ The Woren felt a stab of jealousy and it made her lip twitch angrily. _It's his sister_, she reminded herself. _Of course he'd be happy. Still, I wish it were me—or even Nina—who got to make him smile like that._

It was Sten who brought the reunion to an abrupt close. "As touching as it all is," he said grimly, "we'd best be moving out. The last thing we want is for guards to see us helping a convict escape."

"Already ahead of you, old man," Ryu said. He pointed down the hallway, toward the stairs leading to the main foyer. "We'll go in two separate groups, to lower the chances of us being spotted, and then meet in the woods south of here." He took Yua's shoulders, arresting her attention with his seriousness. "Yua, you and I are going to make a quick detour first—we're going to break into the prince's chamber."

* * *

Katt sat amidst the roots of a tree, idly tossing a piece of bark between her hands. She looked bored enough, but her soul was in turmoil. The woods outside of Simafort were quiet, giving the Woren plenty of peace in which to think. But she made little progress. _I should be happy for him,_ she kept on thinking, _but I can't help but feel…put out. Damn it, it's just his sister. Why the hell am I getting this wound up over it?_

So caught up was she in her musings that she did not notice Nina approaching. The Windian sat down next to her, startling the Woren. "Jeez, Nina, I just about lost one of my nine lives there!"

The Windian's normally smooth features were creased in concern. "You're not usually so distracted, Katt. Something's bothering you. Want to talk about it? We have the privacy, since Sten's out fishing."

"Not particularly."

Nina looked hurt. "You needn't be so standoffish."

Katt sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean it that way." She leaned against the tree, crossing her ankles and looking up into the canopy. "I guess I _would_ feel better if I talked about it. Frankly, I'm bothered by Yua."

"Yua?"

"Yeah. She's…I dunno…Ryu's always been so controlled. Distant. You know, reserved." Katt closed her eyes thoughtfully and smiled dreamily. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Nina—it's kind of been my secret fantasy to be the girl that he opens up to. A little romantic, isn't it?"

Nina was smiling at her, slightly amused but also happy. "I didn't think a tough girl like you thought about things like that."

"Well, if we're going to be stereotyping, then its safe to say _you've_ been gunning for the same thing, right? Being the soft, innocent type."

The Windian colored slightly, but she nodded. "I…would have liked to be the one, yes," she admitted quietly. "To see him smile or laugh or just enjoy himself for once…to be the reason for him to feel things like that…yes, I would have liked to be that."

Suddenly, Katt's expression hardened. "Yeah, well neither of us can claim that now. Now that Yua's here. You saw how he acted around her. He was practically bouncing out of his boots."

"Katt…."

The Woren dug up a fistful of dirt and grass and flung it away, venting her irritation. "Yeah, I know. She's his sister. He hasn't seen her in a decade. He _should_ be happy. I should be happy for him. But I can't! I mean, here we are, you and me…we're declared rivals over him. I…I want him to love me so _bad_. It tears me up at night, wanting it…And then _she_ comes out of nowhere and he doesn't even look at us anymore!"

Nina watched her friend fidget and gnash her teeth irritably. The Windian was at a loss. She wanted to say something comforting, something that would take Katt's mind off things…but the truth was that she felt the same.

"Katt," she said softly, "I know exactly how you feel. I really do. But Ryu…he's the kind of man who always looks behind him. I think that he's been clinging to the past for all these years and that's why he's always so detached. All his happiness, everything that he loved and cared about…it's in the past. I mean, that makes sense, doesn't it?"

Katt was looking at her curiously, her expression one of confusion but also of a desire to understand. Nina elucidated, "Having Yua back is like bringing his past into the present, don't you see? His happiness is back. He can live in the present again. You and I can't really to do that for him, no matter how much we want to."

"So you're saying that we're useless to him," Katt murmured, looking at the grass dejectedly. She suppressed the urge to sniffle.

"Not useless," Nina said sharply. "Not ever useless—Ryu would be the first one to tell you that, too." Her tone softened then. "But we aren't the ones who can make him open up. He doesn't want to open up because there's nothing for him here. He wanted what was lost ten years ago. And now, he's found it again."

Suddenly, impulsively, the Windian embraced the Woren. Katt was resistant at first, but then sank into her friend's calming embrace. Nina whispered, "We could never give him the happiness of ten years ago, Katt. But that doesn't mean we can't give him a new happiness. A different happiness. That's what I think. And that's what I want to give him."

The Woren was silent, mulling over Nina's words. "A new happiness," she repeated. A contented smile spread across her lips. "Yeah, I can live with that. Not as romantic as being the one to make him open up…but I wouldn't mind." Katt looked up at her friend. "You really love him, don't you, Nina?"

For some reason, Nina did not blush. She only nodded. "I think I finally figured out my feelings for him. I'm not entirely sure yet, but…I want things to be that way, between him and me. So do you. That's why I'm going to try and give him that new happiness."

Katt grinned. "Heh. Well, now that you know you love him, I guess my work as your rival will get a lot harder, huh?"

"Yes." A mischievous grin was on the Windian's lips. "But what's a little competition between friends?"

* * *

"So, is there something you want to tell me, Ryu-niisan?" Yua asked as she worked a lockpick inside one of the desk drawers.

The siblings were rifling through "Prince Jean's" private rooms, checking every book on the shelves, every closest, every piece of paper. They had been working for the past hour, but with no success. The imposter was good, they concluded. After all, he left no traces of any wrongdoing. Except the smell of sulfur that permeated the room.

Ryu was using his knife to splice the threads of a tapestry hanging on the wall. It depicted the victory of the de Tapeta family over their rivals during the war. "Tell you what?" Ryu replied distractedly. Crafty politicians learned how to hide papers within portraits and weavings…but he could find no such evidence hidden within the tapestry.

"About those two girlfriends you've got hanging around you," the thief said brightly. Ryu lurched and sputtered—and almost dropped his knife. Yua saw this and chuckled. "What? You think I didn't notice how they practically go goo-goo eyes over you? Not that I'm surprised or anything. Otousan was always fawning over Okasan and I know plenty of boys who tried to ask me out. I think it's because of the blue hair."

Ryu went over to the bed, cutting a slit into one of the pillows. He peered inside. Nothing. "There's nothing going on worth mentioning," he said evenly. "Did you get that drawer open yet?"

"Just about." There was a click. Yua grinned. "Got it. You sure there's nothing going on? I know tension when I see it. And there's plenty of it there. Or don't you want to talk about your little love triangle? Well, now it's a quadrilateral, isn't it? I mean, didn't you notice how jealous they got when you hugged me?" She smirked impishly. "Bet they just _hate_ my guts now, heh, heh."

Yua bounded up and wrapped herself around Ryu's arm. "C'mon Ryu-niisan! You can tell me all the dirty details. I may be the little sister, but I'm not at all innocent!"

Ryu rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably. "I can tell, if your earlier vulgarity is anything to go by. And if there's a love triangle—quadrilateral, polygon, whatever—it's completely one-sided. The girls probably don't realize it, but I overheard them talking about their little rivalry. The terms were that they'd remain friends no matter what—except when it came to wooing me over."

Yua giggled. "How cute! When two boys fight over me, it usually ends with someone getting hurt. 'Course, I'm usually the one pounding them both into the ground because they're being stupid, but hey, who's keeping score?"

The ranger sighed, shook her off, and then proceeded to flip over the bedding. "Where would this bastard hide something? Was there anything in the drawer?"

"Just an itinerary for a meeting with the ambassadors from the satellite states," Yua answered. "Here's some tax reports, too. Looks like they're all legit. No signs of embezzlement or anything. This guy looks as clean as a Windian's arse." A wickedly mischievous look crossed the thief's face. She leaned over on the desk, cradling her chin in her hands. "Hey, Ryu-niisan, do _you_ know how clean a Windian's arse is?"

"I'm not going to touch that with a ten-foot-pole," the ranger replied tartly. "There's nothing between me or Nina or Katt."

"You sure you're not just trying to hide your feelings?" the thief crooned. "Y'know, a lot of tough, silent guys are like that." Suddenly, she leapt onto her feet, theatrically hugging herself. "But I know _my_ Ryu-niisan isn't like that at all!"

Continuing in the vein of drama, she curled one hand into a fist against her chest while thrusting her other fist powerfully before her. "I know _my_ Ryu-niisan is the kind of guy who'd sweep a girl off her feet, serenade her with his beautiful singing voice, dance the most romantic of waltzes with her, and then whisper his declaration of love to her—for her ears only, of course!"

Yua then drew an imaginary sword and raised it aloft. "Should the fair damsel of his heart be placed in mortal danger, _my_ Ryu-niisan would come to her rescue, a handsome avenging savior in polished white armor, a knight before whom all other knights cannot compare!" She smiled at Ryu. "What do you have to say to that?"

"I don't wear armor and I don't like white," he replied dryly. He was busily examining the bedposts, checking to see if they had any secret compartments.

Yua pouted. "You're no fun." She flopped onto the bed. "Ryu-niisan, I think you're just hiding how you really feel."

"And how would you know how I really feel?" he asked. "It's been ten years. For all you know, I'm someone who cut himself off from his feelings."

"If that were true, you wouldn't have kept looking for me," Yua said easily.

Ryu smiled at her cleverness. "Maybe you're right. About my feelings. Maybe I just don't want to explore them, because I'm afraid of what I'll see."

"It's not like it'll be bad," the thief said. "It's fun to be in love, y'know. If it wasn't, you and I wouldn't have been born."

"I've spent these past ten years relying on myself," Ryu said softly. He ran his fingers along the headboard, searching for any cracks or compartments. "I lived with a friend for most of that time. But even then, I kept relying on my own skills, my own hard work. I don't mind others leaning on me, but I don't want to lean on anyone else. Love…means I'd have to do that. Lean on someone else. Rely on someone else."

Yua looked at him with sad eyes and then at his fingers. She pressed her hand over his. The added pressure caused the release plates hidden in the headboard to snap open; it slid off, revealing a thin crevice within. A folder was inside.

She looked at Ryu meaningfully and said, "Sometimes it's okay to rely on others."


	18. Chapter 18

It's another special! Today, it's a presentation by _The Capcom Omake Theatre Company_!

_Disclaimer:_ I'm probably going to be sued for the voice actor names and animation studios that get mentioned in here. Ah well. Them's the breaks. Anything for a laugh, right? Heh…heh…yeeeeaaah. Don't sue me. Please.

**_Misete yo! HAPPI-HAPPI SUPAA Tanoshi Oboiterimasu!_ It's Another Omake! Happy-Happy Super Funny Invasion Along Memory Lane!**

All: "It's Omake Fun-Fun Time!" Dramatis Personae 

Ryu Bateson as Narrator/Sara/Ryu (voiced by Kevin Conroy)

Nina Windia as Commander Jade/Princess Nina Winlan (voiced by Kikuko Inoue)

Bow/Boche Doggie as Bo/Gilliam (voiced by Tim Curry)

Sten Legacy as Karn/Danc (voiced by Jouji Nakata)

Jean de Tapeta as Gobi/Manillo (voiced by Tim Curry)

Rand Marks as Ox/Builder (voiced by Patrick Stewart)

Katt/Rinpoo Chuan as Bleu/Deis (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto)

Mina as Anne (voiced by Kath Soucie)

Suzy (Suzy Q) as Mogu (voiced by Suzy the Pig, a.k.a. Suzy Q)

* * *

(Ryu, as Narrator/Sara, walks onstage, dressed in white robes like Sara from Breath of Fire I)

Ryu: (aside) Do I _really_ have to wear this? I mean, I know I have thin wrists and all, but this is ridiculous!

Nina: (offstage) Yes! Besides, white silk really suits you, dear! Putting up your hair was a stroke of genius, too! (laughter)

Ryu: (sweatdrops) You _must_ be joking.

Nina: Most girls would _kill_ for your figure! I mean, take a look at those _hips_! How _do_ you do it, dear?

Ryu: (dryly) It's called the cowboy position.

Rinpoo: (offstage) Your lines, Ryu! Read your lines!

Ryu: Oh, right. (to audience) Ladies and gentlemen. We of the Capcom Omake Theatre Company, Breath of Fire Division, Troupe 2, humbly present tonight's performance: a rendition of Breath of Fire I. Long ago, the Goddess War occurred, and the evil deity Myria was sealed behind seven keys—

(Nina, as Commander Jade, stumbles onstage, looking confused)

Ryu: What're you doing? You're not on for another—

Nina: It's a ten-minute rendition, Ryu! We gotta hurry it up! (she runs over to Ryu and rips open the front of his robe)

Ryu: (girlish voice) Ah! What the _hell_ are you doing! Rape!

Nina: (faux-male voice) We Dark Dragons will rule the world! (tears off the rest of Ryu's robe, revealing that he's wearing a red cape and white tunic underneath)

Ryu: (girlish voice) Yeah…that was awkward. normal male voice Um, I'm Ryu, Warrior of Light, and I vow to avenge my sister and defeat the Dark Dragons, led by Emperor Zog and Commander Jade.

(Nina begins stripping)

Ryu: (wide-eyed) What the _hell_ are you doing? Er… (watches closely)

(Rinpoo, as Bleu/Deis, comes onstage with her staff)

Rinpoo: Baka! Stop staring, pervert! (whacks Ryu across the head)

Ryu: Ow!

Rinpoo: Besides, you're a girl—why are you checking out other girls, anyway?

Ryu: (confused) What? I'm not a girl!

Rinpoo: But you have such thin wrists!

Nina: Rinpoo! It isn't time for you to be onstage! Get off! (shoves Rinpoo back offstage and then finishes stripping, revealing that she's wearing a pink leotard underneath)

Ryu: (rubbing his head) Ow, ow… (sees Nina) Oh, yeah! Ah, this must be the fair Princess Nina of Winlan, who will surely aid me in my quest to save the world from the Dark Dragon Emperor Zog! Princess, will you lend your sword to my cause?

Nina: Of course! I must help you save the world, since you helped me save my father! (peers stage left) What is this? I see a man of excellent woodcraft!

(Bow, as Bo/Gilliam, walks onstage, dressed in a wolfskin cloak)

Bow: I am Gilliam, a hunter of Tantar; I will help you fight off the Dark Dragons because they dammed up the Tantar river!

Ryu: (sniffs the air) I smell wet dog fur. Bow! You left the water pump on again, didn't you?

Bow: (sheepish…er…wolfish…doggish?) Ah, heh, heh. Oops.

Ryu: Our bill's going to be _so_ high!

Bow: (getting back into character) But as long as the water pump is on, we'll have fresh water! We have foiled the Dark Dragons' plot of starving us by stopping up Tantar's river!

Nina: Y'know, people had indoor plumbing back in those days…they really could have just turned on the tap and totally bypassed that whole "Stone Robot" quest in the game.

Ryu: (rubs his head furiously) Ahh! What does any of this have to do with the play?

Nina: Oh, calm down, dear. You're far too stressed.

Ryu: (resigned) Let's just keep going. (everyone walks stage right and then turns to face stage left)

(Backdrop turns into an urban setting; stagehands push random crates and buildings onstage)

Bow: Ah, Bleak—a city teeming with evil and decay!

Bow and Nina: Let's give it a good shake and see what falls out!

Ryu: (slapping his forehead) WRONG GAME!

Bow: Calm down, buddy. What, you having your period or something?

Ryu: (sputtering) My peri—I'm _not_ a girl!

Bow: Oh. So why're you playing one?

Ryu: It was a bit part!

Bow: But you've got such _great_ hips!

(Ryu is shaking with barely-suppressed rage. Suddenly, Sten, as Karn/Danc, comes onstage)

Sten: Hey there!

Bow: (recoils from the sight of Sten) ZOMG! What the _hell_ are you _wearing_? It's…so…bright…!

Sten: Hey! It's not my fault Danc had such a shitty sense of fashion! I mean, honestly, _bright yellow_ for a thief?

Ryu: (irritably and with emphasis on every word) _Oh…Danc…the GREATEST…THIEF…in the…WORLD…can you…help us…fight…EMPEROR ZOG?_

Sten: (confused) Uh…sure. Yeah. What's up with you, anyway, Ryu? Constipation? Or are you having your monthly?

(Ryu makes a grab for Sten's neck, but Bow and Nina pull him back)

Nina: (chuckling uneasily at the audience) Ah, that's our hero, Ryu! Always so excitable! Truly, a necessary trait when you're off world-saving! Heh, heh!

(Ryu is pulled backstage and brought back onstage a moment later)

Ryu: (more composed) Well, Nina, Gilliam, and Danc—we have to save the world! Onward, to Scande, the headquarters of the Dark Dragons.

(Backdrop becomes a ship)

Nina: Oh no! Ryu, dear, there's the Dark Dragon armada! They're going to sink us!

(Jean, as Gobi/Manillo, comes onstage wearing a hat with a fish fin on it)

Jean: Merci! I can save us, friends! I'm Gobi, a merchant of Prima. For a fee, I can save us all!

All: Whatever! Just do it before they blow us up!

(Backdrop becomes underwater)

Jean: Oh dear. I seem to have miscalculated something; we're stranded on an island, but I'm the only one who can swim long distances. Fear not, dear friends, for I, Jean de—I mean, Manillo—will bring you Gills so that you can swim with me!

Ryu: Thank Eva's fat arse, I can be off this damn-crazy stage for a while. (Ryu, Nina, Bow, and Sten walk offstage)

Jean: I have gotten the Gills, so now we can travel to Gantz, the home of the Builder clan. Beyond Gantz lie a Dark Dragon fortress and a harbor! If we steal a ship, we can reach Scande!

(Ryu, Nina, Bow, and Sten return onstage)

Ryu: (cranky) What the hell? What kind of break was that?

Nina: It's a ten-minute rendition, dear. No time for breaks.

Ryu: (furious) I don't give a turd-shat-out-of-Eva's-bunghole about this play anymore!

Nina: Calm down, dear.

Ryu: (grumbling) We defeated the damned Dark Dragons and took one of their farkin' ships to Scande, with the help of this guy over here. points to Rand, as Ox/Builder

Rand: I'm Builder, a smith and warrior. For the sake of my wife and unborn children, I will protect this world. Let me aid you in your quest! (Note: Rand's the best actor so far!)

Ryu: (tiredly) All right, whatever. Let's get this over with already.

(Suddenly, Rinpoo appears onstage, wearing a green skirt that's supposed to look like a snake's tail)

Rinpoo: (drapes herself seductively all over Ryu; speaking in a very sexy voice) Mmm…purr…I'm Deis, the great ancient sorceress. You're certainly a cute one, eh? Want to see what I can do to you with my tail? I'm curious about how you like it…_bi_-curious that is!

Ryu: (seemingly enjoying the attention, until Rinpoo mentions bi-curiosity) Wait…bi-curious? But I'm a guy!

Rinpoo: (blinks) You are?

Ryu: (fuming) _I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I'M NOT A GIRL, DAMN IT!_

Rinpoo: (shrugs) Oh well. I like 'em fiery, either way.

Nina: (blushing furiously; she steps in between Rinpoo and Ryu) No, no, no! This isn't how it is at _all_! I mean…Rinpoo…you're supposed to play an old hag!

Rinpoo: (offended) Old hag? Have you _seen_ Deis' pictures? Hell, I'm mostly into guys and _I_ think she's hot!

Nina: Doesn't matter!

Rinpoo: Oh, wait! I understand! It must be genetic—your great-great-great grandmother didn't like Deis much either, did she?

Nina: (insistently) DOESN'T MATTER!

Rinpoo: What's wrong, Nina? Afraid I'll steal him from you? Huh? (wraps herself around Ryu's arm) Y'know, Ryu here, he _likes_ the busty ones, don't you, "dear?"

Ryu: (turns into a Stone Statue (tm) and speaks robotically) I will remain calm. I will be focused. I will remain calm.

Nina: (narrows her eyes and grabs Ryu's other arm; speaks in low, threatening tones) Well, we _really_ should be continuing on our _journey_ without any more _distractions_…_RIGHT, DEAR?_

Ryu: (sighing) And so we continued our travels. We eventually reached Gramor, home of the Dirt-Eaters.

(Backdrop becomes an underground cave; oinking can be heard offstage; a few moments later, Suzy walks onstage, Mina, as Anne, close behind)

Mina: Oh dear, oh my! My brother, Suzy—I mean, Mogu—has fallen into a coma! Please help him!

Ryu: (rubs the bridge of his nose) Y'know, I hated this part of the game. (walks over to Suzy, who's sleeping, and kicks her) Wake up.

Mina: MEANIE! (whacks Ryu across the head with a mallet)

Ryu: My head…oh, my head….

Suzy: Oink! Oink, oink. Oink, oink, oink. Oink? (Translation: I'm Mogu! For helping me, I will help you! Shall we go to Scande?)

All: (sweatdrop)

Rinpoo: …Can we eat it instead?

Mina: MEANIE! (whacks Rinpoo over the head)

Ryu: (sighing) We eventually reached Scande, where we finally met Emperor Zog.

(Backdrop becomes a big purple dragon head, the visage of Zog)

Ryu: (not even trying anymore and speaking in a monotone) Oh noes. It's Zog. He's gonna pwn us. We're gonna get r0xx0r'd. It's all over, man, all over. It's TPK. (Note: TPKTotal Party Kill)

Rinpoo: Oh, don't worry! I found this! reveals a bottle and unstoppers it, releasing music It's the _Dragon Heart_, guaranteed to defeat any dragon…including…including…oh shat it all.

(Backdrop pulls away while Ryu clutches at his heart in pain—he isn't acting this time!)

Ryu: HOLY—! OH MY FARKIN' HECK! OH, GOD, BY EVA'S BUTTCHEEK! HOLY SHIT ON A STICK! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! OH, MY SPLEEN! MY PERINEUM! OH MY DEAR LORD IN A TUB! CHRIST ON A BIKE!

Nina: What are you doing, Rinpoo? You brought a _real_ Dragon Heart?

(Nina cradles Ryu's head in her lap)

Nina: There, there, dear. Rinpoo's being stupid and mean again. _I'll_ take care of you! (smiling brightly)

Rinpoo: (grumbling) Aw hell, now she's milking it, the catty bitch. (Rinpoo slides into Nina, pushing her away. Rinpoo rests Ryu's head on _her_ lap) Now, Ryu, honey, I'm _very_ sorry I brought the bottle. So you know how I'll make it up? We can play Bob's Your Uncle. You _know_ how much you like to make certain things 'bob.'

Sten: What's Bob's Your Uncle?

Bow: It's better if you didn't know.

Rand: I think it has something to do with tits, but I'm not too sure.

Sten: …This omake's getting pretty randy, don't you think?

Rand: (annoyed) I resent that particular euphemism.

Bow: A eu-four-what?

Rand: 'Euphemism,' you ignorant—

(Ryu stands back up)

Ryu: (VERY annoyed) ALL RIGHT! WE BEAT ZOG! ON TO THE FINAL ACT, WHERE IT TURNS OUT THAT SARA AND JADE ARE IN CAHOOTS.

(Suddenly, everyone gets up and starts walking offstage)

Ryu: Huh? What? Wait, where are you all going?

Nina: (sweetly) Intermission, dear!

Ryu: Inter—BUT IT'S THE LAST ACT! Who puts an intermission right before the last act?

Rinpoo: Well, we're getting kinda bored and its pretty clear you're PMSing, so we thought it best to call it quits while we're ahead!

Ryu: Bored? PMS? Quits? Calling it quits isn't an intermission! It's leaving before the production's over! And how can you be _bored_? _AND I'M NOT HAVING PMS! I'M ONLY PLAYING A BIT PART AS A GIRL!_ (words go unheard, as everyone else has already left)

Ryu: (looks at the deserted stage and then into the audience) Well, shat me. Um…so. Heh. Nice night, eh? (does a Peter Griffin impression) Well, that's my momma! Nyeeh-heh-heh-heh. (hurries offstage)

(Lights dim; Ryu returns onstage dressed as Sara)

Ryu: (in a girlish voice) This production was made possible by the hard working folks at Studio BONE, Studio GONZO, Warner Bros. Animation, and many other contributors. Special thanks go to Capcom, of course. (bows low) Arigatou gozaimashita.

Rinpoo: (peeking onstage) Ah HA! He _is_ a girl!

Ryu: (sweatdrop, then yells) _ONNANOKO JYANAI!_ (Translation: _I'M NOT A GIRL!_)

* * *

Author's Notes: Yeah, I thought people would want a break from the usual. You really don't want to know where I got this idea from. Actually, I'll tell you anyway . Ever watch _Excel Saga_? Yeah, let's just say if you watch it, stuff like this invariably comes out. That, or read a lot of Terry Prachett books before bedtime. Either way, randomosity will ensue.

I picked all my favorite voice actors to "play" the roles of the characters. Kind of a lark, really. And when I said that Rand was the best actor, I really meant that Patrick Stewart is a god. Go King Lear!

Little-known facts: Kevin Conroy is the voice of Batman back in the 90s cartoons. I dunno, I just got this image of Conroy trying to do a female voice with his dark Batman voice, and I couldn't stop laughing. Oh, humanity, I love you.

Kikuko Inoue voiced Belldandy (Ah My Goddess) and Mercedes (in Gankutsuou/The Count of Monte Cristo). That soft voice of hers is pretty much perfect for Nina.

Kouji Nakata voiced the Count in Gankutsuou. The Count was a badass, no two ways about it. I _worship_ Nakata-san for his excellent work. So he's gotta be mentioned in this omake _somewhere_.

Maaya Sakamoto voiced Hitomi (The Vision of Escaflowne) and was the singer for the theme song in both Escaflowne and Rahxephon. It fits. It really does.

Studio BONE animated Rahxephon, Wolf's Rain, and others.

Studio GONZO is known for animating Hellsing and Gankutsuou, among other shows.

Warner Bros. Animation, of course, did Batman.


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Notes: Not every plan Ryu comes up with works out all right...oh, the Steinbeck-ery!

**Chapter Seventeen: The Gallows**

"An attempt to annex Simafort?" Nina repeated in shock. "But…why? Simafort is a backwater without any strategic or economic investment."

The party was reunited in the forest south of Simafort. Ryu and Yua had returned only an hour ago, just as Sten finished preparing fish for dinner. After they had supped, the siblings reported their findings.

"Think about it," said the ranger, holding up the folder he had found. "Simafort—like Highfort, Windia, and the other major states—is nondenominational. They have no particular religion. At the least, they aren't part of Saint Eva's Church, since it's relatively new."

He slapped the folder meaningfully. "This contains several letters and correspondences between 'Prince Jean' and Habakuru, the head of the church. The gist of it is that the imposter is supposed to launch a pogrom on all of Simafort, converting the populace to the worship of Saint Eva. The idea is to put Simafort under the church's sway. It's common knowledge that the church is very active in its conversion programs; annexation is simply putting a tighter hold on the flock as well putting new ones over those who don't believe."

Sten nodded in understanding. "But in order to do that, ye have to unite tha' satellite states first. Very clever and very well-thought out. Once ye've got the country under yer sway, and after everyone's worshipping the same God, it becomes a lot easier to issue a holy decree to combine Simafort and Eva's Church as one nation."

The ranger nodded grimly. "That was my impression."

The Highlander's lips curled into a dark frown. "We're dealing with something big here, Ryu."

Yua slapped Ryu across the back heartily. "Nothing that Ryu-niisan can't handle!" She noticed how Nina fidgeted and how Katt's fur bristled. _So I _was_ right about them,_ she mused with silent chuckle. _This could be fun._

"But this alone wouldn't be enough to convince people to denounce the man as an imposter," Nina argued, well versed in the craft of politics. "And who'd believe us, anyway?"

"_We_ won't need to convince anyone," Ryu said enigmatically. "The people will convince themselves."

"Sounds like you already have a plan," Katt replied. She spoke to him, but she kept her eyes on Yua. The thief grinned innocently at her. _Smarmy little…calm down, Katt. Don't let her get to you._ The Woren's heart to heart with Nina helped her sort out some issues about how she felt about Ryu, but it did nothing for how she felt about Yua.

Ryu noticed the exchange and resisted the urge to rub his nose. _These women are going to be the death of me,_ he thought with certainty. Despite it all, he found himself suppressing the urge to grin. _Ah well, I guess it can't be helped._

He showed everyone the itinerary for the upcoming ambassadorial meeting. "When the leaders of the satellite states arrive to discuss policy with the prince tomorrow, we'll make our move," he said. "We'll show them this folder and tell them of the plan to put Simafort under Eva's sway. Hopefully, it'll be enough, but like Nina said, it probably won't be. That's why I want to do it at the meeting—when the ambassadors _and_ the imposter are in the same room."

Katt scratched her head. "I don't get it."

"Doing it this way will force the 'prince' to make a move," Ryu explained. "But we're going to set things up so that he can only make one move. We force him to turn into a demon. _That_ will be proof enough."

Sten looked intrigued. _This boy is sharp,_ he thought. _That's a classic tactic that tha' Warmasters at Highfort utilize. Trapping yer enemy by making him think he has a choice._ "And how, pray tell, will ye pull that off, lad?"

"Simple. We mention Angus and Joker. He will no doubt want a try at our heads, since we ended their lives." Ryu smiled grimly. "Revenge and anger can be weapons, too."

_Sharp indeed,_ thought the Highlander appreciatively. Then something caught his eye. Sten squinted toward the distant battlements of Simafort; he frowned. "If ye want a chance to use those weapons," he said quietly, "then ye'd better do something about Jean de Tapeta. Simafort just raised a red flag—they're holding a public execution."

* * *

Jean de Tapeta—the real one—was being paraded to the gallows erected in the square. Guards flanked him, their purpose ambiguous; they could easily have been keeping the bloodthirsty crowd at bay as they were preventing Jean from escaping. Not that the carefree prince was concerned with escaping. No, he marched every step toward his doom with a lopsided, self-satisfied grin.

Princess Petape walked beside him, desperately trying to reason with him. "Brother! Why didn't you listen? I could have arranged sympathizers to help you escape! Why, brother, why? There is still a chance!" she whispered, lest the guards overhear, "I can have my followers free you here and now!"

Jean kept right on smiling. "That won't be necessary, dear sister. I have no fear of death, nor do I think I will die this day. Besides, an honest man never runs away!"

Petape threw her hands up in frustration. "Neither do fools! Brother, this is not some dice game you're playing, or some painting that you can simply scrap away if you don't like it. This is your life! Please, let me help you!"

"Dear sister," the true prince said soothingly, "the best way to live life is to take it simply, easily, and with a single step at a time. You must not overexert yourself over small worries."

"_Small worries_?" she veritably shrieked, so livid was she with abject astonishment. "Brother—my dear, sweet, innocent brother—you truly _are_ a fool!" She began to weep.

Jean patted her on the shoulder, although a guard brusquely brushed his hand away a moment later with a spear. Undaunted, the prince said, "Have you no imagination, my sister? I am the true prince and an honest man! Evil fates never befall such men as I!"

A sweatdrop appeared out of nowhere above Petape's head. "You really are a fool," she burbled sadly. "I only wish that your words held hope."

"Oh, but they do!" Jean said with a beaming expression, even as the guards forced him up the gallows

steps. A black bag was thrown over his head and a noose tied around his thick neck. The sound of the fibers cinching together made Petape wince, but Jean said something offhandedly about it being "slightly uncomfortable, and perhaps a little chafing, and do you mind loosening it a bit in the back?"

Petape watched in silent horror as her brother went to his fate in his usual sanguine humor. "Brother," she prayed, "if God does favor fools, then may he save you now."

* * *

Ryu handed black cloths to everyone. They were crude squares, cut from a spare cloak. But they were serviceable enough. He tied the cloth around the lower half of his face and motioned the others to do the same. They huddled behind one of the battlements, away from the sight of the guards and the crowds. It took all their stealth and skill to get there. But now they had an excellent vantage of the gallows below.

"That frog really is an idiot," the ranger muttered, watching Jean sing about the glories of this and that even with a death-hood over his head. Ryu turned to his companions. "So you know the plan, right? Everyone ready?"

"Ready," said Katt confidently, cracking her knuckles.

"We won't let you down, Ryu," added Nina.

Sten chuckled. Somehow, the black cloth made him seem…harder. It suited him. "Who cares about letting Ryu down?" he grunted. "The one who we can't let down is that frog."

Yua cinched the cloth over her face tightly, but even so, her wild smile was visible beneath the blackness. She flexed her wings, testing them. "Enough talk. We've a party to crash."

She grabbed a hold of Ryu's wrists and flapped her wings, lifting them both into the air. Soon after, Nina did the same with Katt. The flyers took wing over the gallows, their passengers fingering weapon hilts. Meanwhile, Sten slithered down the wall, a slip of blue leather and brown fur, unseen by the masses watching the spectacle before them.

While no one noticed one sneaky Highlander, people _did_ notice two flying women. And when those women released their passengers, letting them drop onto the gallows with weapons flailing, the crowd erupted into panic.

"Remember, hit to disable!" said Ryu as he crossed swords with three guards. He parried and then barreled into his enemies, shouldering them off the gallows and into the crowd below.

The sound of helmets cracking almost overshadowed Katt's reply, "You're the one who needs to worry about that, not me!" She twirled her staff pointedly. Then she knocked a guard flat on his back with a return swipe.

The ranger ducked under another soldier's halberd, only to find a second one swiping for his head. He blocked it with his forearm. Pain shot up his limb, making him grit his teeth and wince. Ryu yanked the offending weapon away, only to see more troops marching onto the gallows.

"Damn it, Sten, where are you?" Ryu growled. "Well, it can't be helped." With those words as his battle-cry, he charged at the reinforcements, throwing his weight into them. In the ensuring melee, where fists and feet were more useful than blades and spears, Ryu lost the grip on his sword. But that did not matter; he was just as good a pugilist as he was a swordsman. Jaws cracked, scalps split, and noses shattered.

"Damn," the ranger muttered, retrieving his sword and wiping blood from where a lucky soldier fed him a knuckle sandwich.

"Not a bad scrap, aye, lad?" Sten asked from behind. Ryu practically jumped out of his boots and came close to slugging the Highlander on reflex.

"Where the hell were you?" the ranger demanded. Then he saw a smiling and rather excited Jean—freed of death-hood and shackles—standing beside Sten. "Well," said Ryu, "at least you got him out of the way."

The Highlander winked. "O' course. This old soldier always follows his orders, boss. How about an evac?"

Ryu pointed into the sky. "Your guardian angels will be here shortly." He turned to address the prince. "In the meantime, I hope you know how to use one of these." He handed his sword over.

Jean looked at it as if it were some sort of rare antique and said, "A bit heavy and inelegant for my tastes, but I know my way around a sword-tip."

"Then start making your way around it," Ryu said dryly.

Katt's sudden cry of pain had the men turn in her direction. The Woren was fighting two swordsmen, one of whom managed to bury a knife in her thigh. Blood stained her tawny fur rust-brown. She yanked the blade free with a grimace and slammed the butt of her staff into one of her enemies, knocking him flat on his back. The other advanced, sword held high for the killing blow.

The blade came down…but it never connected with Katt's flesh. Ryu, moving fast enough to tear the floorboards apart, threw himself between the Woren and the soldier, blocking the sword with his arm. There was a meaty _thunk_ as the blade bit into the meat of Ryu's arm. It was immediately followed by a fist cracking into a jaw.

"That was close," the ranger said. "Are you all right, Katt?"

The Woren nodded, favoring one leg. "I could ask the same of you. That was real stupid, you know."

"Sorry," he said weakly, knowing that she was right. With her reflexes, Katt could have easily blocked or avoided the blow, even while wounded. "It was an instinct."

Katt smiled suddenly. She clapped him on the shoulder amicably. "Well, stupid move or not, it's nice to know that I'm first in your thoughts, eh?"

Amusement curled his lips. "Is that what you think?" he sounded wistful, thoughtful. "Who knows? Anyway, this isn't the time or place for that sort of thing. Here comes Nina and Yua." He pointed to the winged women in the sky. "You and Jean get out first, and no arguing."

Katt made a crisp salute. "You got it, captain."

She raised her arms above her head and Nina, diving low, grabbed them and pulled the Woren up into the air. Yua did the same with Jean and the four of them flew out beyond the battlements to the safety of the woods beyond.

That, of course, left Ryu and Sten in the middle of a group of angry frog folk. The two men went back to back. The ranger held his hands up defensively, ready for another brawl. He absently cursed himself for lending Jean his sword. The Highlander produced several knives from some secret pocket on her person. He handed one to Ryu over his shoulder. "You'll need this," he said simply.

"Give me two," replied Ryu, accepting the weapons. After getting a good grip on the knives, he said, "Perhaps this wasn't the best of plans. I thought we'd be out of here sooner."

"Tha' best laid plains o' mice and men, my friend," said Sten, watching the guards approach with the easy readiness of a man used to fighting for his life. "So, two knife-fighters against hundreds o' frog-faced stormtroopers. This gets tha' old juices flowing, it does."

A pair of the guards advanced and Sten spun his weapons through slender fingers, his arms sweeping them across. An instant later, the guards no longer had spearheads. They backed off, wary of the canny Highlander.

"Come on, ye cowards," Sten challenged fiercely, a hot light coming into his eyes. "If ye want to cut me up, ye got to work for it! Come on, now! Show me all ye got!"

They obliged.

Having seen the skill Ryu and Sten possessed, the guards wasted no time in honorable battle. They opted for human wave tactics instead. A score of soldiers, armed with everything from spears to swords to axes, surrounded the two men and swarmed them.

But despite the odds, the ranger and the Highlander held their ground. Both kept a five-man perimeter, beating their opponents senseless but not giving any new foes enough room to threaten them. It was beautiful and intricate, how they kept their many enemies at bay with their weaving bodies, skillful movements, and spellbinding stratagems. But it could not hold forever, for no man could fight the pull of fatigue.

Though many upon many soldiers lay battered and bruised, Ryu and Sten were eventually knocked down by virtue of exhaustion and beaten mercilessly. Ryu was lying in a puddle of his own blood when he heard the authoritative voice of the imposter call out, "Enough! Take them alive. I wish to question these men."

The ranger groaned in pain and defeat. He saw a glimmer of sunlight on shimmering black wings amidst the white clouds. _Nina,_ he thought. _Damn, the timing…was a little…off._ A soldier, greatly daring in disobeying his master's commands, kicked him in the belly. He coughed up blood. _Oh well…it can't…be…helped…._

Darkness swallowed him.


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note: Some people have been wondering about the lack of Shamans and Dragons. You won't see Shamans. Period. It was cool in the game, but it wouldn't make sense in a plot with this kind of storytelling. Trust me. It would look silly otherwise. And besides, Sanamo's a whore. Seny 4 evar, w00t.

As for dragon transformations, I have my own plans for it. So don't worry about it. Admittedly, there won't be too much of Ryu going all Super Saiya-jin and turning into a giant lizard, but it will be there. It just won't be what you'd expect.

Warning: This chapter is much darker and more graphic than normal. If you were wondering why I had so many happy/silly omake chapters, it's to take the edge off this chapter.

Translation Note: "Oneesan" means older sister. Yua applies this honorific to Nina.

**Chapter Eighteen: Awakening**

The oppressive darkness curled around the two captives like an iron vise, tantalizing with its promise of serenity while torturing with its blood-blackened blade. They hung there, bodies like lifeless straw scarecrows, haggard, thin, and battered. But despite hours of pain, endless minutes of agony, the flow of their lifeblood—they smiled.

"Quite…quite a number…they…did on us, aye, lad?" Sten whispered through vocal chords hoarse from pained cries and dehydration, through blood-flecked lips.

Ryu's head lolled from side to side dizzily. Red oozed from holes along his flanks and back, where their torturers had stabbed him repeatedly with thin iron spikes. It was testimony to his resilience that he survived. "Hell," the ranger growled, "This isn't more than…a…flesh…wound." He coughed and a piece of lung came out, a mockery to his bravado. He looked at the fleshy mass in revulsion.

Sten sighed and looked to the shadowy ceiling of the dungeon cell they had been placed in. "So we're going to die," he said with the calmness of a man who had long ago accepted that fact.

_I…don't want to die,_ Ryu thought. _Yua…I have to live to see Yua again. And…and…I have to live to see…to see…._ He coughed again, the pain shutting out his thoughts. But when his mind cleared, he felt a strangeness in the air. "It's going to rain," he murmured offhandedly.

The Highlander tilted his head and sniffed. "Yer right," he agreed. "'Tis a downpour tonight."

Ryu recalled an old superstition that rain was simply the spirits of dead kin in mourning. _Okasan…will shed tears for me tonight._

The door to their cell opened menacingly and a dark, familiar shadow entered. Ryu's body instinctively curled away in fear. This was the man who came to them nightly with his blades and his spikes and his devices.

And with him came the smell of sulfur.

There was no mistaking the red evil glow in his eyes; though he wore the guise of a Creeping Clan prince, he did nothing to hide his true heritage in their presence. There was no point, after all. "Gentlemen," the demon said in low, villainous tones, not bothering to mask the devilish timbre of his voice, "you haven't been very cooperative with my questioning; you resist to tell me just how much you know. So I will prepare dinner for you."

He walked up to Sten and took the Highlander's chin in his strong fingers. Sten tried to break away, but the demon's grip was like steel and when he squeezed, Sten felt his jaw crack. The red glow in the demon's eyes brightened. "We will need some meat for the entree, of course," informed the evil creature as he drew a serrated knife.

Sten screamed as his left ear was shorn from his flesh. The demon regarded it impassively. "We can make a fine delicacy out of this," he said serenely, "after all, the Creeping Clan are expert chefs." Then he heated the blade in a nearby fire and pressed the glowing metal against Sten's wound. Smoke and the smell of charring flesh rose. Sten's cries were bloodcurdling and his eyes were as wide as teacups.

Ryu struggled against his shackles, the rusty metal cutting lines across his wrists and ankles. "I'll kill you, you monstrous bastard!" He raged and pulled and thrashed, doing more damage to himself than good. But he could not feel the pain through his anger and through Sten's screams. "I'll _kill_ you!"

The demon looked at him dispassionately, ice-cold and superior. "And still he has the strength to fight. Commendable, boy, but foolish. Do not think me a cruel man. I _will_ eventually put you out of your misery. But you caused me quite a bit of trouble. Your little fiasco three days ago brought me under question. Indeed, some believe the man you saved to be the true Prince Jean. That is, of course, a heady obstacle in my plans."

But Ryu was not listening to his monologues. "Even if I have to cut my hands off to get free, I'll kill you," he promised grimly. "Even if it means I have to tear out your throat with my teeth. You're going to end up a corpse, just like Angus and Joker!"

That got the demon's attention. His frog-like head whipped around in surprised, eyes smoldering like embers, demonstrating his interest. "_You_ killed Angus and Joker?" Then a wicked grin spread across his lips. "_You?_" He laughed…and laughed…and laughed.

* * *

Yua stood vigilant, looking toward the curtain walls of Simafort's Steel Cage, the maximum-security prison for traitors and national-level criminals. _Ryu-niisan is in there somewhere_, she thought. _Hang in there, brother. I'll save you somehow._

Three days had passed since the rescue mission. Three days since Ryu and Sten had been captured and sent into the Steel Cage. Three days of worry and apprehension.

_I just got him back. It isn't fair. I just got him back._

Yua's pain was almost too much for her to bear. But her pain was that of a sister. _I can't imagine what Katt and Nina must be going through now. They love him, after all. As much as me. In a different way, but that makes it no less painful._

She thought back to those first hours after Ryu and Sten were captured. The memories were still sharp and hurting.

"_You left him there!" Katt roared at her, feral and outraged. The Woren was out of control and was only a hairsbreadth from striking Yua with her fist. "You were supposed to go back there to pick them up!"_

_Yua, tears running rivers down her cheeks, shot back viciously, "I didn't have a choice! By the time I dropped Jean off, they already had archers manning the walls. I couldn't get anywhere near them! Nina, too!"_

_Katt's hand short forth, grabbing a fistful of Yua's shirt and pulling her close to the Woren's snarling visage. Fangs were bared. "Listen here, you little bitch! Nina at least tried to get in there. She got a crossbow bolt in her leg for that. You turned tail as soon as you saw them nock bows. Don't even think of putting yourself on Nina's level."_

"_Are you saying I didn't give it my best?" Yua whispered. "Are you saying I don't care about Ryu-niisan enough to risk my life for him?"_

_Katt held blue eyes with green ones. Icy sapphires burned against flinty emerald. "That's exactly what I'm saying."_

_The thief could not think straight after those damning words. She could not remember clearly what happened next, but she knew what happened after. There was a throbbing pain in her small fist, a red stain of blood across the knuckles. Katt was on her rump nursing a split lip._

"_You little bitch," the Woren hissed fiercely, eyes hard._

_But Yua was undaunted. Her eyes were ice. "Don't you _ever_ think that I don't love him," she said stonily. "Don't you _ever_ say that again. If you do, I swear I'll kill you."_

_The tears came down and she sniffled. But the hard anger, the burning anger, was still in her blue eyes. "I love my brother. I'd die for my brother. But I know he doesn't want me to throw my life away. It would sadden him to die uselessly. At least this way I can try to save him. What Nina did…putting herself at risk like that…would have saddened him too."_

_Yua grabbed Katt's breastplate and pulled their faces close. The thief was still crying, but her voice was as steady as steel. "I love my brother," she repeated, "and it's the kind of love that keeps you alive. Ryu-niisan doesn't want the kind of love where you throw your life away. Remember that." She let the Woren go and stormed out of the room._

Yua looked at the Steel Cage with that moment in mind. "I'll save him," she vowed.

"I know you will."

The thief turned and saw Nina coming up behind her. The Windian had a bandage around her thigh. "How are you feeling?" Yua asked.

"Better." Nina joined her in her vantage of the prison. "You and Katt have been avoiding each other for three days."

Yua looked away shamefacedly. "Harsh words were said."

"Katt loves your brother very much," Nina said by way of explanation. "And she's very passionate. It's no wonder she exploded on you. For what it's worth, she's felt real bad for doubting your loyalty to him ever since."

"And you?" Yua asked. "Do you question my love for Ryu-niisan? Because I don't question yours."

The Windian smiled sadly and handed an apple to her. "Dinner," she explained, even as the thief brought it to her lips. Nina sat down and motioned Yua to do the same. After a moment of silent thought, she said, "I love Ryu, too. I can't help it. And I admit, when you turned away from the castle wall…I did wonder. But now I know you're as devoted to him as he is to you."

Yua looked away, suddenly overcome with emotion. "That…you saying that…means a lot to me, Nina. Ten years is a long time, and sometimes I wondered if my brother and I would ever be as close as we were as children. You saying that makes me believe that we still are. And that is the most precious thing to me."

Nina's arms slid around Yua's slender shoulders, drawing the younger girl into an embrace. The thief blushed self-consciously but eventually lowered her defenses and sank into the Windian's sisterly warmth. "You should always protect precious things," Nina said wistfully. "And I—and Katt—will help you."

"Nina…."

"We'll save them," Nina promised. "You'll save him. I'm sure of it."

Her soft-spoken words carried nothing but confidence, nothing but hope. It was a good feeling to Yua. "Nina…thank you."

The Windian giggled suddenly. "I have a little sister you know," Nina said. "She's about your age and she sometimes needs to be reminded about things like this."

Yua smiled at her, at the warm embrace, and the confidence and the hope. "You're a good sister, Nina-neesan."

* * *

_I'm dreaming again._

_I see the Eye before more, that familiar Eye. It comfort me, seeing it. I feel…no more pain. The demon took so much, inflicted so much…but it all evaporates when that Eye looks upon me._

_Okasan…._

_I found her, okasan. I found Yua. Just like otousan told me to. But now I'm the one who's lost. Someone needs to find me now._

_A friend got hurt because of me. I screwed up. My plan screwed up. And a friend gets hurt. Is this how it has to be? The cleric said it had to be. I am a Dragon. Misfortune and disaster follow in our footsteps. Okasan, is this how it has to be?_

_If so…if so…. Yua doesn't need someone like that protecting her._

_If so…if so…. Nina and Katt don't need someone like that, either._

_If so…if so…then I don't want to wake up anymore._

_But…I guess it's just not in me to get what I want. So I have to wake up. I guess…_

_…it can't be helped._

Ryu's eyes snapped open, their emerald ferocity not diminished in the slightest. Fresh blood ran down his battered flesh, but his senses were so dulled by three days of torture that he could not feel any pain. Indeed, he could barely think straight. But one thought cut through the haze.

_Kill the bastard. Kill the bastard._

There had been a moment's reprieve earlier. A calmness. A familiar feeling. That was all past. Now there was only the mantra.

_Kill the bastard._

The demon was cleaning his tools. No point in letting them rust due to negligence. Sten hung limply from his shackles, unconscious. His breath was ragged and his chest lifted only slightly with each intake. He could die—a very real possibility. But Ryu did not even think of Sten. Just the mantra.

_Kill the bastard._

The demon was talking; Ryu could barely understand it. "To think that you are the Destined Child, the Fated Child, the so-called Chosen One. You're strong, I'll grant you that, but you haven't even begun to tap your power."

_Kill the bastard._

"Your mother should never have come to the surface, if all she was going to produce was a failure like you. Truly a shame, but I will not deny a certain degree of pleasure in knowing that the dreaded Child is nothing more than the bastard son of a whore."

_Kill the bastard. Kill the bastard._

"Consider yourself lucky, Destined Child. Had it been any other demon lord who found you, you would face a torment far greater than anything I could produce. There are ways to destroy you without ever touching your flesh. Those techniques are not mine to learn, but those who know them use them effectively. You pray for death now…but under their tender mercies, you'd scream for it."

_I pray for nothing but_ your _death._

"I was able to probe your mind a bit a while earlier. You remember? The sensation of my fingers digging through your gray matter, twisting away bits of memory and personality and self-awareness…you cried for mercy, begged for it. And after I stitched you back up, holding your brain in my hand, you wept. No? You don't remember. Ah well. As I learned while sifting around, you would say, 'It can't be helped,' yes?"

_Die, die, die, die!_

The demon grinned and Ryu saw his true shape beneath the disguise. It terrified him. "You call for my destruction," the demon crooned. "Yes, your mind is something I know intimately now, even though I put it back in its little skull. Your thoughts are known to me. Your desires—my death, your sister's safety—are known to me. Even those things you don't admit to yourself. Your fears, you secret lusts."

_Kill the bastard._

The demon was laughing and it made the stones of the dungeon walls shudder with its vile sound. "You focus so much on that moment. Kill me? You can't even stand. You're too battered, too tired."

_My truth is that and only that—the moment. And in this moment, I want his head._

"You won't have it, Destined Child." A knife flashed before the ranger's eyes, pressed against the flesh of shoulder, ran lightly down the length of his arm toward his wrist. The demon's eyes were embers, burning but with a calm flame. "You're battered. You can't stand because you're battered. But now—you won't stand because you'll be broken."

* * *

The plan was simple: storm the Steel Cage. The night would serve to give cover and surprise. Speed would serve to give them the advantage of time. Strike fast, concentrating only on freeing Ryu and Sten. Prince Jean, Princess Papeta, and several sympathizers were even lending aid. It was simple.

But then again, so was the plan to rescue Jean in the first place. Nina tried not to think about the outcome of that scheme.

Through the rain, she looked at her comrades, Yua and Katt, and her allies—the de Tapeta sympathizers. Jean had done an excellent job of rallying rebels against the imposter. Though the frog prince was profoundly foolish, Nina could not deny his charisma; the prince knew how to play his people's heartstrings. More than a dozen political bonfires had erupted across all of Simafort and its satellites in the last three days. Men were calling for the "False Prince" to be brought down. They called for Ryu and Sten's release as saviors of the True Prince. They numbered almost two hundred. It was very impressive.

Nina was glad for the support, but she could not shake the feeling that it would not be enough. _Dread…I feel it. Something's happened to them. To Ryu and Sten. I wish I were a worshipper of Eva…then I could at least pray that they're all right._

Nina saw Katt, grim and frosty. _She's trying so hard to be strong,_ the Windian knew. _She feels so purely and so strongly. It's her gift. But right now, it's a curse. Worry must be tearing her apart._

She saw Yua, eyes distant and confused. _It's even worse for Yua-chan. Being separated from Ryu, right after getting him back…I can't imagine how I'd feel if I lost Mina like that. Be strong, Yua. For him._

"Nina, it's time," Katt said, bringing her out of her reverie. The Woren looked haggard. The wound on her leg was making her favor one side, only adding to her tired appearance. Her earlier brush with Yua and worrying over Ryu and Sten was taking its toll. "If we're going to do this, we have to do it now."

Nina nodded. "Follow the plan. Split the sympathizers into two groups and send one to the main gates. While they provide a diversion, we'll take the rest and go right on through."

Katt fingered her staff. "Do you think we'll meet much resistance?"

The Windian shrugged. "The Steel Cage is a maximum security prison, but its guards expect people to break _out_, not break _in_. Let's just hope our allies can cause enough of a stir to give us a chance at Ryu and Sten. It all lies on speed, Katt. I pray we're fast enough."

And then it was time. The rain pattered on.

The storming was lightning fast. Before Nina knew it, she, Katt, Yua, and a hundred sympathizers were charging through the dark stone halls of the prison, bashing down any opposition. Though the intent was to subdue rather than kill, Nina wondered just how many innocent guards would meet the reaper before the dawn. _Don't dwell on it,_ she thought, hardening her heart, _concentrate on saving Ryu and Sten._

"Down this way!" Yua said, pointing down a set of stairs. "This is where…the torture chambers are." There was a catch to her voice. The thought of her brother…in there…. _Hold on, Ryu-niisan!_ she thought.

The rest of the sympathizers were keeping the guards busy, so Nina, Katt, and Yua went down the stairs alone. Alone into the black, oppressive darkness.

They could smell sweat. They could smell blood. They could smell sulfur.

"The demon's down here," Katt said grimly, drawing her staff. Nina readied a spell on her lips. Yua drew a pair of stout daggers.

A throaty, menacing voice boomed, "Indeed he is! You must be the three that occupy the Destined Child's thoughts. A pleasure." The demon stepped out of the shadows, his disguise thrown aside. The demon lord stood tall and monstrous, resplendent in his vile beauty.

"I am Kuwadora," he announced proudly, "Lord of Pain. On behalf of Angus the Destroyer and Joker, King of Madness, I will crush you…as I did you friends."

"Where's Ryu?" Katt demanded, growling fiercely. "Where's Sten? What have you done to them?"

Kuwadora grinned, showing rows of steely teeth as long as the Woren's arm. "I showed them the true meaning of pain. Behold! Your beloved and your companion." The demon swept aside the darkness with a hand, unveiling Sten's scarred body. The Highlander breathed shallowly, hanging from the ceiling by his arms. Dried blood caked the left side of his face where his ear used to be. His eyes lolled in their sockets, confused and vacant.

Behind him was Ryu.

What was left of him.

At the sight, Yua's eyes widened and her face paled. The terror and horror were so great that she could only whimper.

The strong ranger hung from shackles, but it was clear that the tendons in his wrists and ankles had been severed. Scars and holes traced his body, making him into a caricature of a sow sent to the butcher. The skin of half his face and his flanks had been peeled away, revealing the musculature. His eyes had been removed and placed on a nearby pedestal—they still moved, still saw, though they had no optic nerves left.

Nina wanted to turn away from the sight, but she could only stare, horrifyingly fascinated. "Ryu, oh, God, Ryu," she murmured.

Katt was far more vocal. "You bastard!" she screamed, tears flowing wetly and causing her fur to mat against her cheeks. "You bastard! You rotten, dirty bastard! I'll kill you, you monster!"

The demon was unfazed. "He said the same thing when I took the Highlander's ear. Now, he is clinging to life by my will alone. If you take my life, you will end his. Look well, girl—this is all that is left of your lover."

The Woren screamed her fury. When it was spent, a cold, flinty hardness took its place. "Better to be dead than your toy," she growled. "If it's the only way, I'll kill you and free him from his pain." She advanced, staff in hand.

Nina and Yua were right behind her, iron-hard determination etched into their eyes.

Kuwadora looked upon them as a schoolmaster would at upstart children. "Then I will send you to join your lover in hell."

_

* * *

I'm dreaming._

_I see them fighting the demon. I them dying, even though he tore my eyes out and put them on a pedestal. I watch him tear them Katt in half as she charges at him. Her tattered remains slap my unfeeling legs. I watch him stab Nina in the heart and devour her. I watch him batter Yua to the ground and force himself on her. I hear her screams. I want to stop it. I want to stop it, but I can't move. I can't move at all. I don't have any tendons left to move with. So I scream, even though he already cut out my tongue._

You're not dreaming.

_Who is that?_

The one who sleeps inside. There are two paths before you. The future…and the moment.

_I see the future…but…._

The past is immutable. The future is malleable. You cannot return to the past, but you can change your future. Decide, Destined Child. The future…or the moment.

_My truth is the moment. It will always be the moment. I choose the moment._

Then awaken….

_An Eye…I see an Eye…._

Awaken…my Destined Child.

_

* * *

He's too strong, Nina thought worriedly, clutching at her broken arm. The demon had beaten them in mere heartbeats. Katt lay battered on the ground, barely conscious. She groaned and forced herself onto her elbows. Nina limped over to her, kneeling protectively over the Woren._

Yua stood before Kuwadora, alone and afraid, but unwilling to back down. _I don't want to throw my life away,_ she thought. _Ryu-niisan would be sad if I did. But I'm not running away. I _will_ save him._

"You have the blood of Dragons in your veins," the demon observed. "It smells rich and thick in your veins, little girl."

Yua tightened her grip on her daggers. "I don't know what you're talking about. All I care about is my brother. Let him and Sten go."

Kuwadora laughed mockingly. "Little girl, you haven't a prayer. The Destined Child is little more than my plaything. There isn't much left for you to save. It is useless to fight—" Something stilled the demon's tongue. The dungeon walls shuddered…trembling with fear of something far greater than the blackest of evils.

There was the sound of metal shattering. "What?" Kuwadora wondered. He turned and saw Ryu standing—standing! "Impossible! I slashed you ankles…."

Yua looked on in awe. "Ryu-niisan…."

Katt, lying in Nina's arms, murmured, "Looks like…he didn't need…our help…after all." She smiled. "Good old Ryu."

Where the ranger's eyes should have been, the empty sockets now flared with jade fire. His teeth were bared, with sharp canines flashing. A growl, low and thunderous, inhuman and majestic, rumbled in his chest and echoed against every stone block. An unseen wind whipped dust and gravel around him; Ryu was shielded by a torrential cyclone. Lightning crackled and sparked.

Kuwadora himself felt a shiver that quickly escalated to terror. "This is the power of the Destined Child!" he cried.

Ryu issued a cry of fury, of hatred, of pain…something answered it.

Blackness surrounded the ranger, misted over and enveloped him. More lighting arced around the inky sphere. Neither Yua, nor Katt, nor Nina could see into that mysterious shadow. They could only hear the birth of something terrible within.

And then, from the hidden depths of the blackness, something released an ancient cry: the roar of a Dragon.

The sphere dissipated. Within was a creature whose beauty was breathtaking. Large enough to fill the room, it was all muscle and red-gold scales, with a rippling chest armored by a yellow road of thick leathery plates. The snarling visage, gorgeous despite its terrible, intimidating appearance, bared teeth as long and sharp as sword blades. Plumes of white smoke wafted from dark nostrils in which ember-like flames smoldered.

Where Ryu once stood was a Dragon.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Nineteen: The Week After**

"Ryu…."

Nina rested his head in her lap, her small hand absently stroking his sweat-matted hair. His body was whole and undamaged, renewed and revitalized, as if he had never taken a blow in his life. The dragon had gone as soon as it defeated Kuwadora.

_As soon as it ripped it to shreds. As soon as it tore the demon apart with its claws and its teeth and its pure, vicious, animalistic fury. As soon as it burned the creature with its deadly flames, burning and charring, burning and consuming…._

The dragon had issued a roar, the cry of a child in the body of a beast. And then it went away. Scale melted into flesh, fang dulled, talons became nails. Ryu lay on the ground as bare as the day he was born. Nina cradled that vulnerable, shivering young man in her lap. She ran her delicate hand over his forehead, tried to still his murmuring and his trembling. He was feverish. He was dreaming.

Yua crawled over to them, looking at her brother in concern. "Is he all right?"

Nina nodded, still brushing Ryu's hair. "It must be a bad dream," she said softly.

Yua threw a cloak over her brother's nakedness. "Ryu-niisan…what just happened now? That thing…Nina, he turned into a _dragon_…." Her bat-like wings flexed meaningfully. "That demon said we had the blood of dragons in us."

"I don't know exactly what's going on, Yua. I don't have the answers." Nina touched her forehead against Ryu's. His skin was damp. It trembled in the throes of fever. She did not mind. "I don't have the answers," she repeated, "I can only do this for him. Yua—let's get out of here. Where's Katt?"

The thief went to the Woren, who was struggling to stay awake. She had a concussion. Yua gently helped her to her feet. "Easy, Katt," the thief said. "I know we don't like each other right now, but we're going to have to work together here. So come on, buck up."

Katt's head lolled groggily, but she managed to say with some degree of steadiness and sarcasm, "It's not that I don't like you, it's just that I can't stand kids."

Yua grinned at that. "I forgive you, too," she said snidely.

"I can stand," said the Woren, finally regaining her balance and strength. "Nina, let me carry Ryu; he's heavier. You and Yua grab Sten."

The three women carried their scarred friends out of the darkness.

**

* * *

One week later….**

Sten took a drink from a tall bottle of bourbon as he regarded the scar through the mirror. An ugly round scar the size of an apple dominated the area where his left ear used to be. The empty space was all red-brown scab, a distinctive crater surrounded by a meadow of long brown hair. There would be no mistaking or hiding his injury.

_At least that's tha' worst o' me wounds,_ he thought with the dispassion of a soldier who was used to battle scars of all sorts. _I was just lucky to have lived this long without a serious injury. It could have been worse,_ he told himself. _Ryu went through more than I did._

Still, Sten could not help but harbor a degree of bitterness over having his body so garishly defaced. Frankly, he was glad Kuwadora was lying in little burnt pieces on an unremarkable dungeon floor.

The Highlander sighed, took a drink, and made a quick check of his less noticeable injuries. Bandages around his wrists and ankles covered the slash marks from the rusty shackles; patches soothed the holes and cuts all over his torso; a cloth served to hold his cracked jaw in place. _Ryu definitely got off worse._

He walked across to the window of his room, taking the bottle with him. The roadside inn was several leagues out of Simafort. He was glad for that; that land held far too many bad memories now. Like Goonheim, Sten wanted to run from it.

He looked out the window. Out in the back lawn, Ryu was practicing with his sword; Prince Jean, restored to the throne, had returned it along with his undying gratitude. The ranger had grown more laconic since Kuwadora. All he seemed concerned about was getting stronger. Today, he weighted his sword with several short, but heavy, logs. It was easily thirty pounds of extra weight. But he swung the weapon gracefully with only a single hand.

_He trains so hard,_ Sten thought. _Is he trying to forget what happened in tha' dungeon? He's definitely someone who'd try to drown himself in work. Idiot. If yer going to run away, then run away._

Of course, the Highlander was not blind; he knew perfectly well what kept Ryu around. She had blue hair and soft blue eyes. _He trains for her and only her. She's his whole bloody world, never mind tha' two turning ankles at him._

Sten took another drink. It tasted flat to him.

There was a knock on his door. Nina came in, her expression saddened. "How are you feeling?" She looked at his scar and then quickly looked away; it must have been too repulsive for her.

Sten felt a bit hurt, but he was not some fool who cared overmuch about his looks; he already expected that kind of reaction from people. "Well enough. I'm alive," he said, pulling up a chair for her. She sat down. "What can I do for ye, lass? 'Tisn't like ye to be visiting an old scruff like me when yer beau's unattended." Nina blushed.

The Windian played with the skirt of her dress absently, gathering her thoughts. "It's actually him I'm worried about. You heard the gory details from Yua?"

"Aye. Hard to believe that he's one o' the ancient dragons. As a lad, me mother used to tell me stories about how tha' dragons had tha' power to destroy tha' world. Some tried to use that power for good. But far too many o' them used it for evil. Makes ye wonder how _he's_ going to use it."

Nina turned on him sharply, anger in her eyes. "How can you question it?" she barked. "Of course he'll use it for good! This is Ryu we're talking about. How can you say something like that, Sten?"

"Because, lass, good and evil aren't as cut and dry as ye think. Sure, there some blokes out there like Kuwadora, who deserve to have their black hearts cut out." Sten could not suppress the bitterness as he said the vile name. But he pressed on. "But there are far more who're like ye and me. We _think_ we're doing some good, but all we're doing is making things worse."

He jerked a thumb to the window. "Ryu's outside now. Training, getting stronger. He wants to do that so he can protect people. But he tried to protect Jean, tried to save him." He traced the scar on his face. "I ended up getting maimed because he tried to do some good." Again, there was bitterness; this he expected, as well. Sten was not blind; he knew that in his heart of hearts, he blamed Ryu for what happened.

"Sten…."

"Let me finish. My mother told me stories about dragons. She also told me what it meant to be one. Disaster was a dragon's offspring, she said. Where a dragon walked, misfortune followed. That's what it means to carry tha' blood in Ryu's veins, girl."

Her gaze lowered sadly. "How…how can you say that? He's our friend…we should help him. It doesn't have to be that way."

"Remember what happened in tha' dungeon?" Sten said sharply. "He almost killed ye."

"You were conscious?" Nina was surprised.

"Barely. He almost killed ye," Sten repeated. "Tragedy always follows a dragon. It is tha' way o' things."

Nina thought back to that fearful moment when Ryu had turned into a wyrm and went on a rampage. The terror she felt—she had been afraid of Ryu. He had been so terrible, so vicious. How could she not have been afraid? And this power was inside him, a part of him, as integral to who he was as his hair was blue.

_Ryu…why? Why you of all people?_

Terror. Of Ryu.

_Nina looked upon the shattered remains of Kuwadora. The dragon loomed above, a marvelous and beautiful and horrible sight. "Ryu!" Nina cried, but the beast did not seem to hear her. If it could understand moral tongues, then it did not know who she was. It did not know the name Ryu._

_But still she tried to reach out to it. "Ryu! Ryu!" Its eyes were like jade, filled with golden fire and madness. Confusion, anger, rage incarnate—that was what swam within that emerald sea. "Ryu! Ryu!" It did not recognize the name._

_The great beast lumbered toward her, overtaken by bloodlust. It meant to slay her. Nina stood there, frozen stiff with fear. Fear of Ryu. But she would not let the fear control her. "Ryu," she whispered pleadingly, even as the dragon's breathed its moist, hot breath at her. She could smell limestone and ash. "Ryu, I know you're in there somewhere. Please, please come back."_

_The dragon blinked. Something else flittered across the jade eyes. It disappeared like a leaf on the wind. The dragon opened its jaws. Nina resigned herself to death. "I won't fight you, Ryu. Not you of all people. I…won't blame you. I know you're not yourself."_

_The dragon's teeth were frighteningly white; she could see her reflection in the glossy bone. She could see her own fear in that reflection, and her own resolve. "I won't fight you, Ryu."_

_The dragon's fangs stopped short. It closed its mouth. Its great lips moved, as if trying to form a human word…but only a low growl sounded. Nina stretched out a shaking hand and gently stroked the scaled muzzle. "Ryu?" she asked softly. The beast issued a rumble from deep within its throat. She smiled. "It is you, Ryu. You…remember." Nina rested her forehead against the massive snout, tears welling in her eyes. "Come back, Ryu. Please."_

Nina remembered that moment clearly. And it firmed her belief. "You're wrong, Sten. It doesn't have to be the way of things. Ryu was fighting back the whole time. You said you were conscious. You saw me reach him. Things _can_ be different." She sounded so confident, her belief adamant.

But Sten was still unconvinced.

* * *

Ryu's muscles were aching when he returned to the cool interior of the inn. He went to the public wash, picked up a bucket, filled it with well water, and dumped it over his head. Then he did it again. He felt Katt's eyes watching his bare back.

"Is something wrong, Katt?" he asked, dunking his head in the water one last time before facing her.

The Woren's eyes were distant, thoughtful—very unlike the fiery, passionate girl he knew. She approached him silently, cautiously, as if afraid he was going to move away from her. Admittedly, he _did_ want to back away from her touch. He did not trust himself anymore. He almost killed Nina; how easily could he do the same to Katt? But there was an intensity, a yearning in her eyes that made him stand his ground.

She gently caressed his face. Tears ran down her cheeks and she started to sob uncontrollably. Then she buried her face in his chest and clutched at his shirt, not wanting to let go.

"Katt…."

"Don't say anything. Just don't. L-let me stay here with you, all right? I-I don't want you to d-disappear again."

He tried to stroke her red hair soothingly. But his touch was uncertain; he was not accustomed to things like this. "I'm not going anywhere," he said lamely. "I never went anywhere."

"Yes you did," she accused. "You disappeared and that…thing…took your place. It was you but it wasn't you. I can't accept that other thing, Ryu. I can't…love it. It's too…too much. It isn't you. It's something else."

"I can't change what I am," he said quietly, "no matter how much I want to. I'm a Dragon, Katt. Tragedy follows me everywhere I go. It's…I guess you could call it fate."

She pounded him on the chest; her small fists belied her great strength—it hurt. "No! Don't ever accept something like that, Ryu! You've always been wandering around, completely free. Fate isn't something that controls you. I've never seen you act like someone who believes in that garbage. Don't believe in it now. You can always do whatever the hell you want!"

He took her hands by the wrists and pulled them down to her sides; he embraced her and tilted his chin into her hair. Katt felt his tears drop onto her scalp. "That's where you're wrong," he murmured for her ears alone, "I've never been free. I have the moment…and the past. But they are just cages.

"All this time, these past ten years…I've been chained to what happened to me as a child. I've been controlled by it. Yua's back, but I'm still haunted by what happened so long ago. All I've done from then to now is stay in it. Nothing seemed real to me. I was stuck in the past.

"My past has chained me. And so has the moment. I am a Dragon, Katt. I have cursed blood in my veins. That alone is a cage from which I can't escape. I've never been free."

He tilted her head up with a finger. "Do you understand?"

She shook her head furiously. "Not everything; I don't get all of it. But I'm positive that you're wrong. I'll help you be free. I'll help you realize it. Let me. I couldn't…bring you back last time. Nina did that. But let me help you this time. You won't ever be haunted by your past or by being a Dragon ever again."

And then suddenly, impulsively, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

When they broke for air, Ryu seemed dumbfounded. Katt only added to his confusion by kissing him again.

"I'm not too good with girls," he said at last, though the statement sounded strange and hollow against the reality of the kiss.

Katt rested her forehead against his chest and said softly, "You're good enough."

* * *

Yua watched her brother and the Woren from the window of her room. When they kissed, she felt a momentary pang of jealousy. _She loves him,_ the thief reminded herself sternly. _She isn't trying to take him away from you or anything. She's just showing him how she feels._

_I wonder if Ryu-niisan loves her back? I wonder if he loves Nina-neesan? That baka needs to tell them how he feels. Especially since…since he's the way he is. Yes, now more than ever, it's important for him to be clear about his feelings._

There was a knock on her door. "Come in," she invited. Nina stepped in; the Windian smiled quietly, but warmly. Yua grinned in welcome. "Nina-neesan! Come in, come in."

"Yua-chan," Nina said nervously, "I wanted to talk to you about your brother."

Yua quickly shut the window curtains. But it was too late; Nina already saw. There was hurt in the Windian's eyes, a sense of betrayal, but then happiness and encouragement. She was genuinely glad that Ryu and Katt had gotten closer, even though she and the Woren were declared rivals.

"Yua-chan," Nina said again, "did you know about Ryu's ability to turn into a dragon? Do you know about the Dragon Clan's curse?"

The thief sat down on the bed; the Windian joined her. Yua toyed with her ponytail absently before answering. "I don't know much about either…but okasan used to talk about it sometimes. She only told me, not Ryu-niisan, though. She said I was going to be a Maiden like her or something. I don't remember exactly; it was a long time ago."

She stared at the ceiling, her mind walking down the road of memory. Her expression became distant and thoughtful, lost in the past. "Okasan told me stories about how men could transform into Dragons and how some used their power to help while others used them to hurt. But no matter your intent, a Dragon would bring nothing but misery because of their power. That was the way of things, she would always say. Because I was very little, I didn't really understand it until now."

"So you don't think that your brother can do anything except bring misery?" Nina asked quietly.

Yua grabbed Nina's wrist and locked gazes with her. "Answer me this," she said with intensity, "do you love my brother? With all your heart and soul?"

The Windian was taken aback. "I-I already…you and I…we…we already talked about that."

"Answer me. Do you? Would you do anything for him?"

Against that impassioned gaze, Nina could only reply her deepest desires: "Yes. I do." And she believed it to be true. "Yes, I do," she said again, more firmly and with more confidence. "I'd do anything for Ryu."

Yua released her and sat back. "Then save him from himself. I think you and Katt are the only ones who can. You brought him back, Nina. I can't; I'm just his sister. But you and Katt…you can be more to him than that. Please be there for him."

Nina nodded. "I…I will."


	22. Chapter 22

Author's Note: At long last, the return of Bow and Rand! It just took about twenty chapters (approximately 90 pages of single-spaced, 10-point-font text) to get here. Whew!

Yeah, the ending was expected, I'm sure. But you know what they say about happy endings.

I also found a picture of Yua. Apparently she has green eyes. So much for the "soft blue eyes" thing.

And why do all the female members of Ryu's family (and I mean all of the different Ryus) look really, really hot?

_Waf'ling:_ (v) To go on about something without reaching a conclusive end; (n) the batting sandwiched between two casings; (n) a grain-rich breakfast product.

**Chapter Twenty: Home Again, Home Again**

Wind swept down Mount Fubi, carrying with it the first flakes of winter. The white star-shaped flakes danced across treetops, only to rest against the tiled roofs of the new village of Township. Half a year ago, there was only a single, solitary old building, ruined by age and neglect. But now there were over a score of houses, all in the latest styles, and the foundations of more homes were scattered at the edges of the village.

People walked the rough dirt streets with cheerful grins on their faces and well-wishes upon their lips. There were country maidens carrying bales of grain from the stores. Children chased the falling snowflakes, trying to catch them on their outstretched tongues. Men pounded away with hammers on nails, carried lumber on their shoulders, and sought to finish just one more house before the snows came in force.

The Shell Clansman, Rand Marks, was among those men. He alone hefted enough timber for four men upon his broad shoulders. Though others had turned out the winter cloaks and fur jerkins, he still wore the simple purple toga he favored. It was not so much a fashion statement as the simple fact that he was too big to wear any other garment.

A boy ran up, bearing a large leather skin of wine. Rand knew him to be the son of the head carpenter, Donnelley. The Donnelley boy handed the skin to the Shell, who accepted it with a broad grin. "Thank you, young man," he said graciously. Rand upended the wineskin and drew a long, deep draught, sighed contentedly, and returned it to the boy. "Be sure the other workers get some, too," he said, patting the boy on the head.

When the child ran off, Rand went back to his own task. He fired up the forge before him and took out two long iron rods. Braces would need to be made for the next house; though he was no smith, Rand was one of the few who were strong enough to turn out that kind of work in a short amount of time. Rand lifted the smith's hammer and set to work.

But something caught his attention. Figures approached, strangers in trail-worn garments…but some were not strangers at all. They stared at the town with wide, surprised eyes and they moved like they were in a dream. But there was no mistaking one traveler's steady, methodical, confident stride…and there was definitely no mistaking another's girlish, bombastic sway, as if daring the world to do its damnedest without a care.

Only one woman could walk that way, a woman Rand had not seen half a year.

The smith's hammer fell on his foot; he did not feel the pain.

He said only one word, a name: "Katt…."

The traveler with the daring gait turned to him at the sound of her name. Green, childlike eyes glowed with joy and humor, accented by a toothy grin. Katt Chuan barreled into Rand Marks, throwing her arms around the giant.

* * *

"I'm glad you are both safe," Rand said to Ryu after putting the Woren down. "When the season began to turn, Bow and I started to wonder what had become of you."

Ryu clapped the Shell on the shoulder, genuinely glad to see the massive fighter. "The search for the thief took a little longer than expected," he explained. "We had to travel across the straits in order to catch her in Simafort."

Rand raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Sounds like quite an adventure." He saw a girl with bat-like wings. "And it seems you've accomplished what you set out to do."

The ranger's smile faded instantly. "In more ways than one," he said enigmatically.

Katt cut in suddenly, "Rand, I want you to meet some friends of ours!" The feisty Woren took Nina's hands in her own and pulled her forward. "This is Nina Windia—she's an exiled princess and my very best friend!"

Nina blushed at being identified as Windia's forgotten heir-apparent—it was not a title she was proud of—but Katt had assured her on their trip that Rand Marks was as tactful and decent and understanding as they come. She curtsied shyly. "A pleasure to meet you, Mister Marks."

Rand returned the gesture with a fair imitation of a courtly bow. "The pleasure is mine, Princess. I used to work in Windia for a brief time as a farmhand. I know well the rumor of the lost princess and how she is one of the kindest and most beautiful souls to walk the continent; it seems the tales are far from the realm of fiction, though they do not do you justice."

The Windian was pleasantly surprised by the Shell's worldliness and politeness; Katt had not been exaggerating. "You flatter me, Mister Marks."

"Rand will do," the Shell said. "I've little use for formalities; I am a simple man." He then saw the Highlander hanging at the back of the party. The scars on the wiry body and the missing ear caught Rand's attention, but he tried not to stare. "And you are?"

"Sten Legacy," the Highlander replied curtly. "A traveling magician and knife fighter."

"He's more a fighter than a trickster," Ryu clarified with the confidence of a trained warrior. "He can outfight ten men with just those two blades of his." Sten said nothing at the praise. Indeed, he seemed to grow only more standoffish.

But Rand had focused on the Highlander's name. "Sten Legacy?" he repeated. "As in Stenanil Legacy, the captain of—?" The Shell stopped in mid-sentence when the Highlander flashed him a deadly glare. "Erm, I must be mistaken; the man I'm thinking of supposedly died ten years ago." Rand noticed that Ryu was giving both him and Sten a questioning and interested look; it seemed that the ranger also harbored some deep-seated curiosity about the Highlander. Rand made a note to talk to Ryu later.

But Katt, ever passionate and exuberant, did not notice the exchange. "Hey, Rand! We're not done with introductions yet! There's someone else you should meet." The Woren literally dragged the girl with bat-like wings over. "This is the thief we were trying to catch to clear Bow's name—her name's Yua. And get this—she's Ryu's little sister!"

Rand blinked and mulled over that statement again. Finally, the shock reached his lips: "_What?_"

* * *

Bow embraced his old friend with enough strength to knock the air out of the ranger's lungs. "Ryu…you're back," Bow breathed when the party arrived at the mayoral villa. Once the crumbling ruin that he and Niro used as a hideout, it had been converted into a beautiful three-story manse complete with a private fishpond and garden. Bow himself had changed as well: he now wore the fineries and pendant of office of Township's mayor.

Ryu broke the embrace and held his friend at arms' length. He was smirking. "Who's idea was it to make you a mayor?" he said laughingly. More seriously, he said, "It's good to see you again, Bow."

"I'm glad to see that you made the journey safely," the Grass Runner said. He clapped the ranger on the shoulder and looked at the gathered party. "Come, come! All of you, come! Niro and I will prepare you a fine feast to celebrate new friendships and safe returns! It'll be a hell of a party, ha, ha!"

Nina, walking up, curtsied politely. "Thank you, Mayor," she said serenely.

"Don't worry about formalities here, _Princess_," Bow said. "What? Surprised I know about your lineage? I have an ear for information these days, Miss Nina. At any rate, let's dispense with titles; you and the others are Ryu's friends."

Then Bow saw the bat-like wings. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "So you found the thief who framed me, Ryu. What's she doing here?"

The ranger rested a hand on the thief's shoulder. "Bow, I'd like you to meet Yua…Yua Bateson, my sister."

"_What?_"

* * *

"That's quite the adventure you've all had," Rand said with a touch of humor. He, Bow, Niro, and the party sat around a long banquet table in the villa: Bow at the head, Ryu and Niro at either hand, and the rest along the sides. Nina and Katt took positions conspicuously close to the ranger. Yua sat as close to her brother as she could, with the Windian and Woren in the way; she played with her food with that ever-present impish grin on her face.

"I'll say," agreed Bow. "There's a saying for adventures involving everything from demons to conspiracies: lions, and tigers, and bears—oh, my!" He laughed at his own joke, his chubby jowls jiggling with mirth. With still-laughing eyes, he surveyed his friends, both new and old. "The wonders you've all seen. I've been busy just doing the paperwork in town; I can't imagine what it must've been like fighting something like Kuwadora!"

"Nor would you want to," Sten said in such grinding tones that it was almost a growl. He absently rubbed the scarred side of his face.

But the Highlander spoke softly; Bow did not hear the dark pain in his voice. "And what's more," continued Bow, "to think that my best buddy here's one of the legendary Dragons! It certainly explains a lot of things."

The ranger raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "I…don't understand," he said. "How does it explain anything?"

"Well, for one thing," Bow began sagely, raising a finger, "the reason why you're such a stone statue is because you're part-lizard. You know, cold blood and all."

Katt and Yua giggled. The mayor eyed the young thief and waggled his eyebrows suggestively; Yua stuck out her tongue at him. "Ryu, why didn't you ever tell me you had a sister?" Bow asked.

The ranger seemed more languid, more relaxed than he had ever been around his traveling companions. Amiably, yet with a touch of seriousness, he said, "Because I know you're a skirt-chaser. Touch a hair on her head, and I'll neuter you with a spoon."

The table laughed uproariously and everyone looked at Ryu as if he had grown an extra head; the laconic ranger _never_ made jokes!

"It seems you've finally gained a sense of humor," Bow said after wiping away tears of mirth, "I'm glad you're not serious. Right? Eh…right?" Ryu just looked at him; Bow paled visibly, earning more howls from the rest of his guests.

Ryu brought the conversation to a more serious course. "Bow, there's still the matter of your innocence to deal with. I will take Yua to Hometown and have the matter cleared up; my sister and I already discussed how we will go about securing both your innocence and her freedom."

"You'll have to talk to Kilgore as well," said Bow. "He can arrange safe passage for me into Hometown; I want to be there when you clear my name. And I have a score to settle with that bastard, Trout."

Yua blinked in surprise. "Wait—did you just say Trout? I was _hired_ to steal from him! That's why I was at his house that night."

Bow stared incredulously and then laughed. "Oh, for the love of…ha, ha! One of the nobles, Kilgore, wanted me to steal a magic hood from Trout; apparently, Trout stole it from Kilgore first."

Yua nodded. "Yes, yes! I was told much the same thing. It was actually one of Kilgore's sons who made me the offer."

The mayor could not stop laughing at the irony of it all.

It again fell to Ryu to bring the mirth down. "What's so special about this hood?" he asked. Bow did not know. But Yua did.

"Kilgore's son told me that it's a relic from an era when deception was as common as the air we breathe," Yua explained. "The hood has an enchantment that lets the wearer see past false images and disguises."

Upon speaking those words, Yua stiffened with sudden understanding; Ryu, Sten, Nina, and Katt wore hardened expressions. All knew the implications of the hood's powers. Ryu voiced them. "With that hood, we could see through a demon's disguise. And Trout wants it. Could he be an enemy of the demons?"

"Or maybe he's a demon himself, trying to hide or destroy a tool that could be turned against him?" Sten added darkly.

The table was somber as everyone brooded over the possibilities. Bow decided to try his hand at lightening the pall that swept over his guests. He produced a bottle of wine and popped the cork. "These ill tidings make me thirsty," he declared, filling a glass. "Let us vanquish these dark spirits with ones of more potent vintage!"

* * *

Much later, after dinner and several rounds of Township's ale—most of which went down Katt's seemingly bottomless stomach—Ryu and Bow stepped out of the villa and onto the balcony for some fresh air. The night was chill, with the snows coming in, so they brought their cloaks and mugs of mulled wine to drink.

"That Woren's going to drink my cellars dry," Bow complained, yet with a touch of admiration.

"An innkeeper in Capitan said much the same thing," said the ranger, his expression thoughtful and fond with the memory. "She's quite a sight when she's drunk; the fun never stops with her."

"You sound rather taken with her," Bow noted with a wide grin. "Could it be that you've finally picked up a girlfriend?"

Ryu chuckled, leaned over the balcony rail, and sipped idly. "Don't get me wrong—I like Katt." _I kissed her, after all…though now I'm wondering if that was a mistake._ "But I don't love her. I think I'd know it if I did."

She wants to help me deal…with this thing inside me. With the Dragon. She was so confident about it, so sure. Hell, I'm not even sure if there's a way to break past a Dragon's destiny.

"Anyway," the ranger continued, "it's a bit more complicated than that. Nina's part of the equation, too."

Bow looked stunned. He was silent for a long while, but then he slapped the ranger hard across the back, almost hard enough to knock the mug from his hand. Bow bellowed merrily, "By my stars and fur! You're in a love triangle! I was always worried you'd never get a girl, and you got _two_!" He affected a tearful face and wiped away imaginary wetness from his eyes. "Ryu, my boy, I'm so proud of you!" He moved to embrace his fellow skirt-chaser.

"Hug me, and I'll neuter you with a spoon," the ranger replied dryly. "I like them both, Bow," he explained in all seriousness, "but I don't love them. I'd be doing them a great wrong if I pursued a relationship with them when I don't return their feelings."

"You need to seize the opportunity when you get it," Bow said, also dead serious. "I mean, it's one thing for me to hop from girl to girl—I think they expect that from someone like me. But you…I can tell you mean what you say, and it's admirable to want to be sure of your feelings before getting into a relationship, but…."

"I won't go into this just because everyone else has some strange, romantic notion in their heads!" Ryu retorted sternly. "Must a man _always_ be with a woman near him? Can they not be friends?"

Bow was subdued beneath those words and the force with which they were delivered. "Sure, they can be. But those girls feel something for you that's more than friendship. Hell, you can see it at dinner, Ryu. They were practically fawning over you."

Ryu sighed. "And that just makes it worse. I don't want to take advantage of them."

"And so you deny yourself a little happiness?" Bow huffed in disappointment.

"I'm a Dragon, Bow. Happiness doesn't come my way."

Bow just shook his head. "You're still an idiot after all. Starting a relationship isn't taking advantage of anyone."

"But I don't…."

"Love them?" Bow finished. "Is that you're only excuse? Ryu, relationships aren't permanent. Even marriage, sad to say. I'm probably not the best person to go to for this sort of thing, but I've seen people in love and that's the next best thing—so listen up. These relationships take time to form. Hell, a lot of people back in the Ranger's Guild hook up. They don't know if they love each other or if it's just passion. But if you stay with them long enough, learn enough about them, then you figure it out."

Ryu stared into his mug and watched the dark herbs dance in the liquid within. "And in that kind of relationship, sometimes people get their feelings hurt," he said darkly. "I don't want that to happen to them. Nina and Kat…are fragile when it comes to emotions. Did you know they started a friendly rivalry over me? They'll stay best friends no matter what, but they agreed to do whatever they have to get one over the other until I choose between them." He sighed and shook his head sadly. "And I can't even choose either."

Bow suddenly understood why his friend was being so evasive about the two women. "You…don't want to hurt their feelings by choosing one over the other," he murmured. "Not only that, but choosing one when you don't love her would be an insult even beyond just breaking their hearts. And being a Dragon just adds another layer of trouble on top of it."

The ranger nodded. "Finally got it, did you?"

Then Bow bopped him on the head. This time, Ryu did drop the mug so that he could rub his bruised scalp. "Idiot," growled Bow. "If you care about them enough to want to avoid hurting them, then why don't you just admit it to yourself?" He grabbed the ranger's lapels and showed him up against the wall and said right into his face, "Admit it—you're just afraid to admit that you actually fell in love!"

Stunned by his friends actions as well as his proclamation, Ryu stammered, "I…I…."

Bow did not relent. "It's the only thing that makes sense. Use that logic of yours, Ryu! Figure it out, detective! You're in love with them." He released Ryu, who slid onto unsteady feet. Clearly, the revelation, brought out so abruptly and harshly, had disoriented him.

Bow led his friend to a guest bedroom, for he believed that Ryu could best come to terms with his feelings in privacy.

"You always did do a good job of hiding your emotions," Bow said mirthlessly as he went out the door, "you're so good that you managed to hide them from yourself."

* * *

The women got their own guestroom. Katt and Nina shared a bunked set, while Yua sat on a single. The thief was sharpening her knives and humming to herself. But then her gaze went from her work to the two women in the bunk; Nina was reading a spellbook. Yua harrumphed. _Those two…I told Nina-neesan to help Ryu-niisan, and all she's doing is reading books. She needs some good old fashioned prodding, that's what._ A wickedly impish grin formed on her young face. "So," she said suddenly, "when are you two going to trip my brother into a bed, huh?"

Nina, who was studying her spells on the top bunk, fell over and hit the floor with a crash. "W-w-what?" she stammered, her face crimson. "I-I-I…."

Katt, who was, for once, more composed than her winged friend, said snidely, "Yua Bateson, master of the direct approach." She lay back on the bottom bunk as if the blunt inquiry had been a common occurrence. Nina, on the other hand, fumbled into a sitting position at the base of Katt's bed; the normally regal young woman looked very much like a giddy schoolgirl.

Yua's eyes with filled with mirth; she was enjoying every minute of this. "What?" she asked with grossly feigned innocence. "I mean, we've already established that you two are totally into Ryu-niisan and it's pretty obvious to anyone with a pulse besides. I just don't see why the three of you are waffling all the time. It's getting annoying."

Suddenly, the impish grin widened to devilish proportions. "I know!" said Yua gaily. "Why don't the two of you sneak into my brother's bedroom and do a little fanservice for him! And I know just the thing! We'll cut Nina-neesan's neckline down to about here…what's the matter, Nina-neesan? Don't like that idea? I'm sure Ryu-niisan would _adore_ it!"

The Windian was so red that Katt was afraid the poor girl was going to burst something important. The Woren scratched at her hair in annoyance. "Look, Yua, you can just stop playing games, okay? Ryu's our problem, not yours."

The thief looked a bit put out, but she only managed to salvage more entertainment from it. "I'm just looking out for my older brother. It's not like he's got his best buddy to bunk with him like you two do; boys just don't share their secrets with each other like girls do," she said in a wry, singsong voice. "I mean, he must be really lonely!"

Then the thief hopped off the bed and started out the door. "Well, I'm going to go find a little midnight snack. You two want anything? No? Okay!" She waltzed out.

Nina grabbed a pillow off Katt's bed and threw it at the now-closed door. "Why that—" she seethed in irritation. The blush was still in her cheeks, but it was mostly from frustration. "How can someone so…so…so improper be Ryu's sister? The nerve! And to think she seemed so innocent before. She asked me to be there for Ryu when he needed me. And now she's like this! I just don't get it. Yua-chan seemed like such a nice and sincere girl before."

"It's like she's going out of her way to toy with our heads," Katt noted. "What I hate most is that's she's right. Let's face it, Nina. We both want this thing with Ryu to go further. And we _are_ waffling around."

Nina grew quieter. "But we don't even know how he feels."

Now it was Katt's turn to redden. "Well…I…that is."

Nina turned a curious—and suspicious—eye at her friend. "What?"

"Well, a while ago, Ryu and I…kissed. It was a very…strong kiss."

At first, it seemed like the Windian would strike her friend out of envy, but then her face softened. "Did he kiss back?"

"Yes, but it wasn't like he admitted having feelings for me or anything." Katt grinned wryly. "So you're still in the game, Nina; I haven't won yet."

Nina chuckled. "That's good to hear, I guess." She picked up her spellbook, flipped through it absently, and then stopped at a page. "So what do you think?" she quipped lightly, seemingly back in control of her emotions. "Should we beat Ryu unconscious, tie him up to a bedpost, and torture him until he admits being in love with one of us?"

Katt laughed. "That's a bit out there for a prude like you, Nina."

The Windian shrugged. "You're right. How about an enchantment spell? Force all of his deep feelings and desires to bubble right over?"

"You can do that?"

Nina closed the book. "Nope. But I'm sure I could, if I practiced. I wouldn't do it, at any rate; that's cheating." Her face fell then. "But right now, I wouldn't mind a cheat or two. Like you said, Yua-chan's right about the waffling bit."

Suddenly, that dangerous, predatory gleam glowed in Katt's emerald eyes. "So let's stop waffling," she said enigmatically. "Why not do what Yua suggests? Ryu never does anything recklessly, not unless his back is to a wall, right?" A wide, feline grin, full of mischief, spread across her face. "So let's put his back to the wall and make him come to a decision."

* * *

Ryu sighed as he lay back on his bed, resting his head against his forearms. Snow was beginning to pile up outside his window; the morning would bring the first dreadful chill of the season. But the ranger's mind was far from the weather. Instead, his pensiveness was centered on a blonde and a redhead.

_I…love them…do I? Do I really?_

_I kissed Katt, and I know Nina thinks resuscitating her in Capitan was a kiss…but a kiss is just an action, a movement. Does it mean I love them?_

_They're beautiful, yes. Both are strong, in their own ways. Both are loyal, stalwart friends. I'd give my life for them and they for me. But I would do the same for Sten and Bow as well. Is that love?_

_Bow's just messing with my head. He's full of such romantic ideas as this. But…what if he's right? It's not like I've ever been in love before; I have no idea how it feels, what form it could take. I only know that I love Yua—I know what a brother's love feels like. I know what a sister's love feels like. What does a lover's love feel like?_

_And I can't rule out the possibility that I'm thinking about this sort of thing just because Bow mentioned it. Are these feelings my own, or are they just a result of everyone's expectations of how I _should_ feel? If it's just a facsimile, a passion, then I don't want it. I wouldn't hurt my friends like that._

_But what if it isn't? What if…what if I _do_…love…them. I can't have them both; that's just…lecherous, improper. Nina would probably have a fit. Can a man even love two women at once?_

_And that's just talking about Ryu the ranger, never mind Ryu the Dragon. How can I let myself love them? I'd just put them in danger. "Misfortune follows in a Dragon's footsteps," after all. Hell, I'm putting all my friends in jeopardy by simply being here!_

_I only know one thing for sure: Life just got a whole lot more complicated. I'd really rather spend another week under Kuwadora's tender mercies than think about this._

His thoughts were interrupted by voices outside his door. "I can't believe you talked me into this! This is so…well, not right!"

"Oh hush you! You were all excited about it before."

"I never was!"

Ryu blinked and sat up, puzzled. "Nina? Katt?" The fact the voices abruptly died down was answer enough. Now what are they up to? He opened the door and saw the two women looking up at him sheepishly; Nina was about ready to fall over from embarrassment.

"Why are you huddling outside my door?" he asked bluntly. The girls only looked more sheepish.

But Katt recovered first. She suddenly became smolderingly beautiful; she pressed herself up against him and threw her slender arms around his neck. Her breath, warm and low-toned, tickled his flesh. Ryu could not suppress the shiver that coursed down his spine.

"Ryu," she breathed huskily, in such a way that the ranger thought he was going to melt, "Nina and I were wondering…if you liked us."

"What?" He had not expected this. He was stunned enough to actually admit feelings for the women to himself, much less to their faces. But just as he was collecting his thoughts to give an evasive answer, an unexpected attack was launched: Nina also recovered her wits and, with surprising grace for a self-avowed prude, draped herself over Ryu's other arm.

Affecting a vulnerable and imploring look that stole his breath away, Nina murmured with a pinkish blush, "That isn't a nice way to answer that question, Ryu. You could hurt a girl's feelings."

"I didn't mean…."

Katt took over. "Then what do you mean? You like us?"

"I, that is to say…."

Nina pouted and threw a wide-eyed gaze. "So you don't like us?"

"I didn't say that—"

Katt was grinning like a cat that just dipped into the catnip. "You're very bad with words, Ryu. Maybe actions would suffice." And then she kissed him with all the passion she could muster. That was when the ranger noted her perfume, a scent that she just recently applied. It was intoxicating, mind-numbing, dazzling.

And then he felt the Woren's lips leave his, only to be replaced by Nina's gentle, unsure ones. He returned her kiss eagerly, pulling the slender Windian to him. Puzzles pieces started to fall into place: Nina's uncharacteristic behavior, Katt's over-the-top boldness, the perfume…Ryu suddenly realized that this was a set-up; the girls planned this out, every action and every word.

Not that he minded at all.

He returned their affections with his own, equally intense and equally passionate. And he came to a decision. The audacity of it shocked him to the core, but he could not help it. He chose both.


	23. Chapter 23

I found out something interesting. In the original Japanese, the name of the demon inside the Great Tree (Yggdrasil) is actually spelled Alzheimer, not Aruhamel. Suddenly, I get the joke.

Get ready for some major canon changes, simply because I thought the Tunlan quest was insipidly boring.

**Chapter Twenty-One: Gathering of Nightmares**

The Church of Saint Eva was more akin to a palace than a cathedral. Its majesty seemed almost an effrontery to the clergy's ascetic lifestyle. Yet, this contradiction seemed to slide past the senses of the masses. Enchanting and beguiling, the white stones of the cathedral veritably glowed in the noon light. Even the wind was captivated by the beauty of the palatial temple.

In the highest spire of the cathedral was the Grand Priest's chamber. Habaruku, a wise, stately, and commanding presence even in his winter years, sat in his high-backed chair with a pen in hand. He went through a pile of reports with dry efficiency, his hands moving mechanically. It was the curse of his position to deal with such trivialities, so he went through them with ruthless celerity.

But his pen ceased its swift, precise movements at the report of a knock upon the door. "Enter," Habaruku said in his stiff, yet guileful, voice.

The cleric, Ray Braddoc, entered like a beautiful guardian angel. Upon coming within the Grand Priest's sight, the red-haired man bent to one knee with his head low. "Your Holiness, I've returned from my meetings with your servants. I've come to deliver my report."

Habaruku finished his writings before saying, "Begin."

Ray nodded briefly and began, "It is with righteous joy that our God has graced fruitfulness to your servant, Aruhamel, who controls the regions of Gate, the Valley of Fog, and Farm Town with an iron grip. I spoke with him only a fortnight past—it is my humble pleasure to inform you, Holiness, that Aruhamel has successfully crippled the pagan god, Yggdrasil, the Great Tree of Wisdom."

A brilliant, almost fanatical fire burned in the young cleric's eyes. "Yggdrasil is now our tool, Your Holiness."

Habaruku nodded, as if expecting all this. "Excellent. I knew I could count upon Aruhamel's power. And what of Shupkay, Trout, and Kuwadora?" he inquired.

Ray was all too eager to answer. "Shupkay has insinuated herself into the ranks of the Highlanders. With her skill in politics and courtly methodologies, not to mention her tactical genius, it was almost too easy for her to rise to the rank of General. Though the Highlanders are not fully aware of their predicament, she now holds them in the palm of her hand."

"Good, good," murmured the Grand Priest.

The red-haired cleric continued, "As for Trout, he has successfully taken the magic hood of Deis and secured it for us. It will be delivered to us in a fortnight."

Habaruku let out a sigh of relief. "This is good. The treasures crafted by the goddess Deis are exceptionally resilient; it is impossible for even we, the Servants of Myria, to destroy them. Unmaking the relics of Deis would be folly indeed. It is far safer to keep it here, where no one else can use its powers against us."

The Grand Priest deigned to give his redheaded servant the honor of looking upon him. "This news pleases me greatly."

Ray suddenly stiffened and perspiration dotted his brow. "Your Holiness would be wise to save his pleasure for later," he said through dry lips, "for with boons I bring a single bane. Ill-will has fallen upon your servant, Kuwadora. His attempt to bring Simafort under our control has failed miserably. Indeed, our plan backfired with disastrous results; the Creeping Clan is now doubly wary of our intentions and its prince, Jean de Tapeta, has even denounced Saint Eva as a false god. He has named us all charlatans." Ray's lips were ashen, his jaw clenched tightly; reporting this was difficult for him, for he felt nothing but seething hatred for the frog prince who dared to slander his God.

Ray could feel something inside him, a growling and burning beast. A part of him longed to let the creature free, to exact holy and righteous vengeance upon the blasphemous de Tapeta household.

Habaruku saw the turmoil within his servant and smiled. This was what he trained Ray for, after all—to believe in and embrace the power that swirled within him. But the Grand Priest merely waved a dismissive hand. "Simafort can throw mud at our holy name all it wishes. It will not affect our plans. Tell me: what has become of Kuwadora?"

Ray's shouldered sagged and his brow wrinkled as he spoke, "Your Holiness, I regret to inform you that your loyal and trusted servant lies slain in the dismal dungeons of Simafort Castle."

"What? How can this be? Kuwadora was one of our strongest, second only to Aruhamel and you." Habaruku bashed the arm of his chair with a clenched fist. "Know you the identity of his slayer? Speak!"

"Your Holiness, reports claim that…a blue-haired warrior did the deed. A blue-haired warrior who transformed into a dragon."

Habaruku slipped back into his chair, his breath taken from his thin old chest. "A dragon, you say?" he whispered.

"I have met this blue-haired warrior," Ray continued. "At the time, I did not believe him strong enough to affect a metamorphosis. Clearly, I was mistaken."

"The warrior's name!" the old priest demanded. "His name!"

"Ryu Bateson. From my conversations with him half a year ago, I believe that he came from the town of Gate, now held under Aruhamel's sway. Lord Aruhamel may possess more information, for I do not."

Habaruku nodded and dismissed his servant. "You have given me much to think about, Lord Braddoc. I will give you your orders and then you may leave. Firstly, inform our press secretary to monitor the activities in Simafort. We must make it a priority to dampen the effects of their slander. Discredit Simafort, if you can; silence its speakers, if you must. Secondly, go to Windia and affect the same. The king has grown…obstinate…and he has politely denied our requests to construct a temple in his realm. We must not let the slanders of Simafort reach Windia's ears, lest we lose any opportunity to recast our requests. Thirdly and finally, you will personally go to Farm Town to procure land upon which to build another cathedral, for we must now strengthen our presence in the West; Aruhamel has already informed his servants of your upcoming arrival."

With a second wave of his hand, the Grand Priest dismissed his young servant. When the door closed, Habaruku glanced ever so slightly to a shadowy corner of his chamber. "What do you make of this, Lord Aruhamel?"

The Demon Lord of Nightmare shifted from the shadows and into the pale candlelight. In a voice as raspy as dried leaves against stone, he replied, "This new Dragon can only be the Destined Child. You have already had me slay the other Dragons that reside on the surface, and you yourself have wooed Braddoc into your service. This Ryu Bateson, had he survived my purge in Gate, can only be the Destined Child."

"You sound so confident," Habaruku commented with small humor. "And? Do you recognize the name? Lord Braddoc said you might."

Aruhamel nodded ever so slightly. "It was the name of one of your minor clerics who operated in that region. I believe he is the very man you keep beneath the cathedral to empower your fell machines."

"But that man is human, not Dragon," Habaruku said.

"The warrior's mother was of the Dragon Clan," Aruhamel clarified. "I remember well her screams as I stole the life from her fellow townsmen. I believe it is she who now bars our Master's release."

Habaruku considered his servant's words and laughed uproariously. He appreciated the irony of it all. "And so the son continues his mother's work, unknowingly and unwittingly! Oh, humanity, I love you! Such troubles they give us, and yet such humors. This warrior, then, must also be he who affected Augus and Joker's demise."

"It would seem that way. Shall I dispose of him?"

Aruhamel spoke so flatly that any other listener would have thought him simply making a professional statement. But Habaruku had long worked with the Demon Lord and new well the nuances that separated professionalism from sadism. And here, confronted with the prospect of killing the Destined Child, Aruhamel spoke with nothing but rapture and glee. Habaruku could only smile evilly at the thought of the torments the Demon Lord could devise for the unfortunate blue-haired warrior.

"No," Habaruku said with finality. "I have a better idea. Awaken Barubary." Though the Grand Priest had told Ray that the three strongest in the Church were him, Kuwadora, and Aruhamel, that was not entirely true. For there was one other, a secret weapon, a sleeping beast that was saved only for the most desperate missions in the service of Saint Eva: the Demon Dragon Barubary.

Habaruku said, "Do you recall, Aruhamel, the tale our serpentine ally told us ten years ago? Of how he faced the Destined Child and cast him into darkness? It seems that the Child has crawled out of the darkness at last and has come for revenge, even if he does not yet realize it."

Aruhamel nodded in understanding. "And so we shall pit the Child's greatest nightmare against him. I shall take my leave to execute your wishes."

The Demon Lord of Nightmare slipped back into the shadows, leaving the Grand Priest alone in his empty chamber with his mundane reports.


	24. Chapter 24

Author's Note: Another interlude chapter with lots of little vignettes; will segue back into the main story by next chapter. Note that this chapter occurs in a single evening; temporally, this all occurs within 2 hrs.

**Chapter Twenty-Two: All Clear Night**

There was scuffling behind Ryu's door, followed by a pair of startled yelps. It sounded like a hurricane blasting within, so confusing and rambunctious was the noise. Then, suddenly, the door burst open and two women were shoved out the threshold, both with very astonished and very miffed expressions upon their countenances.

The one who pushed them out was blushing such a bright crimson shade that his blue hair had a purple cast to it. His clothes were a bit ruffled and his shirt was no longer tucked. His hair was mussed and there were hints of lipstick along his collar. "Sorry," he managed to mumble, "but I think I'd rather be alone right now." Then he abruptly closed the door.

Katt leaned back against the door with a disappointed grunt. "What's with him?" she growled irritably. "How can he resist two beautiful girls practically throwing themselves at him? Eva's fat arse, he _must_ be made of stone!"

Her compatriot, Nina, sank to the floor and banged the back of her head against the wood of the door. "I think I just lost my confidence as a woman," she sighed. Then she turned to Katt. "I told you this wouldn't work. And we made absolute fools of ourselves like that. I shouldn't have done that! It felt far too…too improper." She spoke softly, for words failed to express the depth of her unfathomable embarrassment.

"Yeah right," Katt drawled slyly. "I saw you getting into it once you started in on him. All that moaning wasn't just for his benefit, right?" Nina blushed to the roots of her blonde hair. Katt reveled in her little victory but immediately deflated. "I still can't get over how he just kicked us out. I mean, what were we doing wrong? I figured that two girls coming into a room like that must be every man's dream."

"Not Ryu's apparently," commented Nina dryly. "He has all the calmness of a corpse."

Behind the door, the women heard Ryu speak softly to himself, "All right, now it's time for a cold bath."

Katt's ears pricked up happily; a wide smile followed soon after. "Well, maybe he isn't so rocky as we thought," she murmured triumphantly.

* * *

"You know," Bow began drunkenly, "a lot of men would kill to be in your position."

He and Ryu were in the basement of the mayoral villa, which had been converted into a private bar. As to be expected of a party animal like Bow, the brew was only the best that he could get. It was also notoriously potent, so even Ryu was beginning to feel a little tipsy after only a few glasses.

And after what had happened in his room earlier, the normally laconic ranger felt that he needed a few glasses.

"They can have it," Ryu slurred, blinking to keep his bearings straight. "That was way too weird for me."

Bow just looked at him blankly. "Stone statue indeed," he said, and then tossed back another glassful. "So, aside from your astounding fortune with women, what else is on your mind? I've never seen you so riled up as to take to a bottle of bourbon before."

"And I've never seen you pass whiskey for bourbon," Ryu retorted. But he sipped his own glass and continued, "I've been dreaming a lot about my mother lately. About Gate. About Yua."

"Not Katt or Nina?" Bow suggested lewdly. The ranger punched him in the shoulder. "So what about these dreams?" the mayor of Town Ship said quickly, rubbing the new bruise.

Ryu became pensive, his emerald gaze distant and cloudy. Though his body sat in the bar, it was clear that his mind's eye gazed elsewhere. "I can't help but feel that there's something in the air. You know how I can always tell when it's going to rain? It's a lot like that. Something's coming, and it's going to be big. I don't know if I want to see it."

"What's that got to do with your family or Gate?"

Ryu shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. But whenever I get that feeling, I can't help but think about what happened in Gate ten years ago…well, it'd be close to eleven now. And Yua came back to me. Now I'm wondering if okasan will as well. I don't know—it's just a weird feeling."

But Bow just clapped his friend on the shoulder encouragingly. "I'm sure you'll figure it all out; you always do. At any rate, here's to your life—may it be less confusing by tomorrow."

Ryu nodded dumbly, not really believing it. A thought struck him. "Oh, that's right," he murmured, reaching into a pocket. He pulled out a wooden whistle. "I was making this on the side," he explained, handing it to the Grass Runner. "I never finished it, so it might not play as well, but at least it makes sounds."

Bow turned the instrument over in his fingers. "What would I need this thing for?"

"Don't know, really," the ranger admitted. "I just felt like making something. So I made that. I don't need it, so I figured I'd just give it to you."

"Sheeh," Bow whined, tucking the whistle away. "So what, I'm just a hand-me-downer? Sure, I'll take it—maybe it'll come in handy when I summon a servant or something. I have those now that I'm rich," he said with a laugh. Ryu grinned back.

* * *

Although he was feeling a little buzzed from the bourbon, Ryu managed to make his way to his room without any trouble. His confidence in his sobriety waned when he saw Nina standing outside his door, knocking lightly on it. At first, he thought he was just seeing things. But when he finally convinced himself that he was not affecting a drunken hallucination, he blinked in confusion.

"Is something wrong, Nina?" he asked gently. He wanted to kick himself; his words sounded slurred, even to his ears.

Nina practically jumped out of her boots at the sound of his voice. Hearing the slow, deliberate drawl to the tone, she tilted her head questioningly. "You were drinking?" she asked innocently, desperately, as if trying to steer away from some topic that she did not really want to touch.

Though slightly impaired, Ryu was still sharp enough to see through Nina's ill-played ploy. "Bow and I were celebrating are our reunion privately over a few bottles. Now, what's the matter? You look like you're about to keel over." Ryu meant it as a joke—a rarity in and of itself, caused mainly by the liberating nature of solid drink—but it came out as genuine concern.

And it was justified, for Nina _did_ look uneasy. Her slender arms trembled; she hugged herself with those quaking arms, as if to stave off a chill. She looked away constantly and refused to meet Ryu's gaze. She looked helpless and uncertain.

"What's the matter?" Ryu asked again.

The Windian did not answer for a long, silent, awkward moment. The crease in her brow was a telltale sign of the turmoil within, for she was wrestling against herself over some idea she wished to express. Finally, though, she did. And explosively.

Before his drink-slowed mind could fully comprehend what was happening, Ryu found himself holding Nina in his arms, with the young woman wrapping her own arms around his neck. He felt the softness of her lips against his own, a trembling and uncertain kiss, exploring and desiring, yet afraid to venture further; the kiss itself seemed like a sort of test, wanting to see what would happen next. Ryu could feel something more behind that kiss, an expectation and a lust that Nina could not bring herself to voice.

She wanted assurance that her feelings were the correct ones.

He gave it to her.

Ryu pulled her close and returned the kiss as passionately as he could. Somewhere in the bourbon-swirled recesses of his consciousness, he understood that under any other circumstance, he would not be kissing her like this. He would not be throwing his whole being into the act; it would have instead been like with Katt or that awkward moment earlier, where he reserved at least some of his passion.

Not so here. A hand cupped Nina under the chin, tilted her head back, and Ryu drove forward, inspiring a delighted moan from his partner.

Then Ryu regained his senses and the barriers returned. He held Nina out to arms' length. Her smooth, elegant face was prettified by the blush that stole across her cheeks. She was breathing heavily, winded from the passion of his kiss. But she also looked disappointed that it ended.

"Why?" Ryu asked simply.

Nina looked taken aback by the blunt question. But she answered it without hesitation; after that experience, she found it impossible to hesitate around him, "Because…I wanted to show you that I really do care about you, Ryu. That…that thing Katt planned…I didn't want you to think that it was just a game. She and I both love you."

Tears glistened in her eyes as she began her confession. "I love you, Ryu. I really do."

She buried her face into his chest and gripped his shirt with both hands. "And if you don't return those feelings…I don't know what I'll do…but I know this feeling inside me won't go away, even if you don't love me back."

Ryu turned away from those beautiful, entreating eyes, so filled with the feelings stirring in Nina's heart. The sight was too much for him. "And if I say I can't return those feelings?" he ventured softly.

Nina looked like she was going to cry. "I said I wouldn't know what to do. And I don't." Those soulful blue orbs suddenly turned pleading. "You…you don't…love me…do you?" she whispered.

"I can't let myself," Ryu clarified. "For a number of reasons. I _do_ love you, Nina. But I…I love Katt, too. Choosing between the two of you would be like asking me to cut off one of my arms."

Nina smiled when he admitted his feelings, and then suddenly face turned crimson. "You…you can love us both, Ryu," she suggested, though every word seemed like she was putting a dagger into her own belly, so complete was her embarrassment. "It isn't…proper…but I love Katt too, like a sister. I don't want her to be hurt just because you choose one over the other."

"There's another reason why I can't love you back," Ryu said stiffly. "It's because I'm a Dragon."

Nina shook her head violently. "Don't even go there, Ryu Bateson! Your heritage doesn't mean a thing to me. I don't care if Dragons are destined to bring about misfortune. I _know_ that if anyone can beat fate, it's you."

The ranger chuckled, startling the Windian. "Katt said much the same thing," he said with mirth. "You two seem to have a lot of confidence in me."

Nina fastened herself to his arm and rested her head on his strong shoulder. "Of course. Because we love you. And because we know that out of all the people on this world, you have the power to do anything."

* * *

There was a cave to the west of the abandoned town of Gate. If a traveler followed the cave's winding tunnels, they would have been surprised by the lack of life. Even in tunnels, one could find all manner of creatures, from rock moles and rats, to cave bats and bears. Insects managed to carve a niche within the moister regions. Even plant life grew in the darkness: lichens and mosses, both phosphorescent and benign, covered the stalagmites and cavern walls.

But in the cave west of Gate, there was only Barubary.

And it was Barubary that one particular traveler sought.

In the cave, where darkness was abundant, the Demon Lord of Nightmare found it a simple matter to slip into the Demon Dragon's home. He gazed upon the great beast with what could have been awe on any other being. For Barubary was a massive creature, one of the great aberrations of the mortal coil. To view Barubary's sinister beauty was to view the act of murder made flesh.

"Awaken, Barubary," commanded Aruhamel in a voice that penetrated dreams, "and receive the orders of Habaruku, the mouthpiece of our Master."

A single green-and-purple eye snapped open. It looked like the window to hell and madness itself.

A smile crossed Aruhamel's lips. "It has been a long time since these eyes have seen the mortal world with wakefulness, hasn't it, Barubary? We have need of your services. God has need of your services. Will you fulfill them?"

The Demon Dragon rose his great head ever so slightly—a sign of affirmation.

"Excellent. Then I shall tell you the name of your foe: the Destined Child."

At the mention of that mantle, Barubary rose to his full height, filling the cavern with his dark majesty. He issued a roar so frightening that it could kill mortal men. Aruhamel listened to the nightmarish scream with an ever-widening smile.

"Do you remember?" Aruhamel pressed. "Do you remember how he bested you—a simple child, untrained and alone? How his claws scarred your steel-like carapace, how his teeth gnashed at your diamond-hard flesh? Do you remember his burning, scorching breath? Do you not seek revenge?"

The roar that came forth made the first seem like a cat's mew. The Demon Lord of Nightmare knew at once that the Destined Child would soon meet his end.


	25. Chapter 25

Author's Note: This is it. The fated meeting between Ryu and Barbuary…only _much_ sooner than it was in the game. **Chapter Twenty-Three: Barbuary**

The morning light spilled in through the bedroom window with such gay intensity that it would have awoken even the heaviest sleepier. But it was a moot point, for the room's sole occupant was already awake and had been for some time.

But this was not to say that Ryu was doing something productive. For once in his life, he was just doing nothing. He sat on the fall with his back against the wall. Normally, his heavy blade would be across his knees, but this time the weapon lay unnoticed on his bed.

Ryu was thinking. Or, rather, reflecting. Much had happened in the last few weeks, and more in just the past two or three days. Meeting his new friends, finding Yua, reuniting with Bow…and most prominently his beautiful, newfound relationship with Katt and Nina.

The ranger found himself pondering, "When did this all happen? Where did it all start?" He could say that it began when he began a quest to find a thief. But even after meeting Rand, Katt, and Nina, he was still cold and distant. He could say that it started when the girls began their "rivalry," but even then he treated it with the faraway care of someone that was merely amused rather than involved. He could even say it began when he was reunited with Yua…but even at that joyous event he held himself in reserve, simply because he was afraid that it was merely a dream….

In truth, there were no ready answers. In truth, it did not matter. He was changing—he _had_ changed—and it was for the better. Now he smiled fondly when he thought about Katt's fiery boldness or Nina's elegant and quiet smile. He felt something stir in his heart, a memory of a happier childhood, when he looked on Yua. He no longer minded the smell of wet dog fur when he was with Bow.

Yes, he had changed. And he invited the change.

A knock interrupted his reverie. It was not a bold knock, like Katt's, or a soft and uncertain one, like Nina's. Nor was it the familiar rap-and-open method of Bow or the happy-go-lucky pound of Yua. This was a powerful blow, to be sure, but it was also reserved, as if methodical and measured.

"Come in," Ryu invited.

Rand stepped in; Ryu was surprised. Admittedly, the ranger did not know the Shell overly well, so he was not expecting him to pay a visit.

"From what Katt has told me about you," began Rand with a smile, "you ought to be working on Eva-knows-whatever project."

Ryu chuckled. "Perhaps I finally decided to use up some of my floating vacation days," he quipped, standing. "Is there something I can help you with, Rand?"

The large Shell frowned, his rocky features expressing a great amount of concern. "I'm curious about how you met the Highlander, Sten."

A frown touched the ranger's lips as well. In light of Katt and Nina's amorous attentions, he had completely forgot about the little incident when the Shell and Highlander first met. He had been meaning to bring it up again, but between playful kisses, it slipped his mind.

But now Ryu brought it to the fore. "We found Sten near Windia. He was trying to steal our food. You seem to recognize him from somewhere; care to illuminate me?"

"It really isn't my place to do so," replied Rand evasively. "It is not polite to share secrets if they are not yours to share in the first place."

"I couldn't agree more," said Ryu, "but right now that isn't the point. I've noticed some things about Sten: he's quick and agile for someone in his middle years, and he's strong despite a slender build; he's impeccable with a knife, and doubtless with a blade as well; he knows his woodcraft and can slip through any shadow or blade of grass with the ease of a summer breeze. In short, there's definitely more than meets the eye."

Rand said nothing, but he did not have to; the tenseness around his jaw and neck corroborated Ryu's observations and his assumption.

Realizing that the Shell would not divulge any information without certain prompting, Ryu tried another approach. "Since you won't tell me anything, how about at least telling me if I'm right or not? Sten Legacy is one of the Queen's Guard—the elite of the Highlander military, the personal bodyguards of the royal family—and the only reason why he'd be so skilled. You mentioned that he was the captain of something, so I'm assuming that he's captain of it."

"You're quite a detective," said Rand flatly, which was all the confirmation Ryu needed.

The ranger smiled. "Bow and I hunted bounties when we were younger; some were quite good at hiding. You need to be a detective to find them. So, will you tell me anything more? It seems I already know all there is about Sten except the details."

"Like?" Rand was not going to make this easy; the huge Shell's sense of duty and responsibility would not let him give away someone else's secrets so readily.

Ryu decided to bite the bit and work with it. "Why did someone like Sten quit the Queen's Guard, the highest and most influential military position outside of a general, and why is he so hell-bent on keeping his affiliation a secret? And why do you know about him?"

Rand sighed, finally acquiescing to the ranger's inquiries. "I used to serve in the Highlander army as a mercenary. That was about ten years ago. I needed the money, so I enlisted for a tour in a contention over lands and borders in Goonheim. The Highlanders hired their troops to the Goonheim to help defend against the sieges of the Corsairian ships and the Tunlan armada. The campaign lasted a year, but it would have gone on indefinitely, were it not for the bold strategies of the tactics genius that rose to prominence during the war."

"Sten," Ryu said simply.

Rand nodded. "Yes, Stenanil Legacy, the captain of the Queen's Guard. As you might know, every major war that the Highlanders participate in requires, by tradition, for one member of the royal family to act as the commander in chief, the only position higher than general. Often, this is merely a cultural observation; the royalty in question doesn't do much more than inspire the troops. This was the case in Goonheim, as well. But it gave Captain Legacy a reason to go to Goonheim alongside the other warriors."

"I noticed that you speak his name very reverently."

Rand nodded again, his eyes shining with remembered admiration. "Yes, he was one of—no, he was _the_—greatest and bravest soldier I've ever seen. His strategies were radical, but brilliantly effective. We wouldn't have survived Goonheim without him."

"So what happened? Why did he leave?"

Here, the Shell sighed sadly and his shoulders sagged. "During the final battles of Goonheim, the Corsairians were preparing to launch an all-out, last-ditch effort to sack the city that involved using Corsairian heavy cavalry and riflemen. Captain Legacy's spies informed him of it, and so he set to planning a counterattack. Given Goonheim's disadvantageous position in a dale beside the sea, he had a difficult time coming up with a strategy to defend against both a frontal assault of that caliber. But he came up with a solution nonetheless.

"He invented what is now called the Legacy Maneuver, which is taught in military academies throughout the continent. It involved splitting a four-horse light cavalry unit into two pairs, each pair flanking around an enemy force of anywhere between four to ten troops. The idea was not to defeat or destroy, but to confuse; the light cavalry would drop smoke bombs to trap the enemy in blindness. At this point, the light cavalry would regroup and perform a standard charge, breaking away into a pincer maneuver as soon as contact was made. The cavalry would again regroup behind the enemy and repeat the attack."

"That's a dangerous tactic," Ryu said thoughtfully. "It all lies in the timing. If the smoke bombs aren't dropped precisely, the cavalrymen will get slaughtered."

Again, Rand sighed sadly. "And that's exactly what happened. The first few ranks of cavalrymen weren't fast enough and the Legacy Maneuver failed miserably. Luckily, the second complement was more precise and the maneuver went off without any further problems. The day, and Goonheim, was won. But the first complement of riders were killed to a man…and many of them were fellow Guardsmen—Captain Legacy's closest comrades."

"So that's it. It's guilt," Ryu murmured. "That's something I can empathize with. When you think something's your fault, you really can become your worst enemy."

"Be that as it may," said the Shell, "it isn't any of our business; unless he asks for our help, it is not our prerogative to pry. Inner demons are best faced alone."

The ranger nodded. "That's something I know from experience." Then he stood. "Well, we should be getting ready to leave—we still have to clear Bow's name. Is he ready yet?"

"He is just finishing packing, I believe. Katt and Nina are already downstairs, as is Sten."

Ryu girded on his sword and looked at Rand. "Will you be coming with us?"

"I will have to refuse," he answered. "Much work needs to be done yet; I will be needed here. But be careful on your journeys, my friend; as you know, the roads are not as safe as they used to be, even here, so close to Hometown."

* * *

It was a strange group that traveled across Mount Fubi toward the western coastlands: a fiery Woren, an elegant Windian, a bombastic Grass Runner, a laconic Highlander, and two blue-haired siblings. The complement was so alien that most of the other road-walkers following the highways gave them wide berth. As such, Ryu's party suffered no molestation, either from talkative travelers or roving bandits.

The only encounters that they had were among themselves.

During the journey, Bow noted the subtle change in relationship of three of his friends. Ryu would smile quietly and Katt and Nina would return it with knowing grins of their own; the exchange made Bow smile as well, for he truly felt happy for his blue-haired friend.

Yua would draw attention to herself with pranks and antics that harassed or bebothered the others; her older brother as a particularly worthy victim. Everything from squirrels in backpacks to spicing a water bottle with pepper spices to placing a spider in Nina's bedroll were part of her repertoire. None of the tricks were ever malicious, but they certainly seemed that way. The friends' only consolation, if it could be called that, was that Yua found them all uproariously amusing.

Only Sten remained distant from the camaraderie. Ever since the loss of his ear to Kuwadora, the old soldier had grown colder and more somber. He went through the day's journey as if a ghost. He ate as if he were alone. It became uncomfortable, if not outright impossible, to open up a conversation with him.

The Highlander brooded. He would caress the rough edge of flesh beneath his temple, tracing the scar of Kuwadora's knife. He blamed Ryu for it; he admitted that in the darkest depths of his heart. Kuwadora did not want Sten to suffer so much as to thrust a blade of shock into Ryu. Thus, the Highlander's suffering did not mean a thing outside of being a message to the ranger. Sten was angry with that.

Logically, it was not Ryu's fault. It was just bad timing, bad luck. It happened to every solider—that was when a trooper died, after all, when bad luck came around. But that did not alleviate the bitterness in Sten's heart.

The party finally arrived in Hometown. Ryu and Bow visibly relaxed upon crossing the city's walls, for they were home again. "Been a long time, eh?" commented the Grass Runner. The ranger could only nod, for he was still absorbing the smells, sights, and sounds of the place. It had been far too long.

"To Kilgore's house, then," Bow declared, leading the group to the wealthier districts. Upon arriving at the manse of his former employer, the party saw the man in question speaking with a servant in livery. When Kilgore saw Bow coming up to his gates, the nobleman immediately dismissed his servant. With a look of profound surprise, Kilgore opened the gates himself and took Bow's hand.

"My eyes do not deceive me!" he murmured. "Bow, you are yet alive and well!"

"And one step closer to being a man free of charges," the Grass Runner added. He introduced Yua, who stood behind. "This is the thief who stole the magic hood from Trout. Incidentally, it was your son who hired her to do so, since he knew that Trout was a slippery one."

Kilgore's lip twitched. "I shouldn't find any mirth in this," he said, "but I can't help but be amused by the irony of it all." Then he took Bow's arm and led him, and the rest of the party, into his home.

Over one of the richest meals the adventurers had ever tasted, Kilgore was informed of the strange episodes of the past half-year, from the battle with Augus to the fateful meeting with Yua and Kuwadora…and the party's speculations on Trout's own motives for desiring the magic hood.

At the end of the meal, Kilgore crossed his fingers thoughtfully. "Such ill news indeed," he murmured. "But, unfortunately, news I have heard before. Strange tidings have come to this land in recent weeks. Monsters grow stronger and more fruitful, as if by some fell influence. The Sea of Trees beyond the Valley of Fog is shrouded in darkness and evil things walk its grassy lanes. Highfort no longer sells its mercenaries, but hoards them within its walls."

Sten looked up at this last rumor. "Highfort? What has happened in Highfort?"

Kilgore shrugged. "I've heard only that a new general, named Shupkay, has taken over within the last three months. An accomplished, if young, tactician, she has the military's ear, if not the royal family's. She came out of the blue, so it is said, and won her way to the top through her valor and brutality. For she is truly a fearsome foe upon the battlefield, and her enemies call her the 'Terrible Storm.'"

Sten's gaze grew distant and thoughtful; it was clear where his mind's eye had turned.

But Kilgore drew the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Our concern now is to capture Trout—with that, Yua's testimony, and Trout in custody, we will surely be able to clear Bow's name and relieve Yua of any blame."

"Only a small group should go," Bow said suddenly. "Were it any larger, we would look very suspicious and it would be difficult to move in stealthily." He nodded, as if coming to a decision. "I will go, alone if I have to, though Yua should come to—she knows the layout of Trout's house as well as I do, since she stole the hood in the first place."

"And where is the hood now?" Kilgore asked. Yua produced the hood from one of her belt pouches, unfurling the troublesome garment on the table. It was a simple burlap sack with eyeholes cut into it; such a dreary article had caused so much grief. Kilgore took it thankfully and then handed it to Bow. "I want you to have it. Perhaps with this, those demons you spoke of will be easier to defeat."

The Grass Runner accepted the gift gratefully. "Thank you." Then he stood up and prepared to leave immediately for Trout's house. He looked at Yua briefly, pleadingly, but she did not return the glance; she had no desire to go into Trout's home again. Bow sighed and continued on, alone….

Ryu's hand grasped his wrist. He said nothing, he did not even look at Bow. But the message was there just the same.

"I didn't want to ask you because I've caused you a lot of trouble already," Bow murmured.

A grin split Ryu's stony visage. "You always cause me trouble, ever since we were kids. Why stop now?" he said lightly. Bow grinned and clapped the ranger on the shoulder, truly touched. Ryu glanced around the table, at each of his friends, and said, "This is something Bow and I have to do—as best friends and as thieves. I'm not even going to give you the option of following, got it?"

"And if Trout turns out to be a demon like Kuwadora?" Sten pressed.

"Then we'll handle it," Ryu countered. "Remember what _I_ can do," he added pointedly. Sten backed down, not too happy, but unable to refute the power of a Dragon.

As the two made to leave, Nina spoke up, "Be careful." She added hastily with a blush of embarrassment, "Both of you."

Ryu just smiled, as if sharing a joke. Then he tossed something to the Windian. "These are the keys to our apartment. It's probably a junk pile, and the rent has to piling up like crazy. But you can stay there until we get back. It'll be cramped, but there should be enough room for all of you."

With that, Ryu and Bow left.

* * *

Nightfall was a most appropriate time for a little break and entry.

For it was in the night that Bow's name had been sullied. For it was in the night that he and Ryu fled to the ruins so long ago.

And it would be in the night that poetic justice would be done.

Bow knelt before the third-story window of Trout's enormous manor. There was no light beyond the paned glass, but he took great care anyway. Within, he could see a bedroom—with his quarry lying on the canopied divan. Bow's sharp eyes scanned the edges of the windowpanes, his fingers dug through every crack and crevice.

He found no trap, no alarm. That only made him all the more alert, for any wealthy man who had no alarms that a thief could find simply had better and more invisible traps somewhere else.

Bow heard the soft screech of wood against wood. "What are you doing?" he demanded of Ryu, who knelt behind him and was spinning a toy top on the roof shingles. "Quiet!"

"He can't hear us," the ranger responded absently, winding the top and letting it dance once more.

"You're not being very professional," Bow grumbled.

"I don't see the point in sneaking in," Ryu countered. "We're going to fight him anyway. And with our speed, we'll apprehend him before the guards can come to his aid. Let's just go in now—speed will serve us better than stealth in this instance."

The Grass Runner mulled over that for a moment. "Perhaps you're right. Where did you get that thing, anyway?"

"I found it in my travels," Ryu answered guardedly. He pocketed the top, drew his sword, and motioned Bow to stand aside. "Come in right behind me, as fast as you can," he said. Then he burst into motion, breaking through the window and laying the flat of his sword on Trout's neck.

"Don't move, and you'll live," the ranger said coldly. He heard Bow clamber in behind him. "The hood—check him with the hood."

Bow drew forth the magic hood and slipped it over his face. Through those eyeholes—empty and unremarkable—a startling change occurred. Bow saw the world in grayscale, everything was fuzzy-edged and virtually indiscernible.

Except for Trout. Bow saw him in his true form.

"Ryu!" the Grass Runner cried, stumbling onto his rump in shock. "Ryu, he isn't human!"

The ranger glared at the now-awakened Trout. "I didn't think he was. I could smell it."

Despite his disadvantageous situation, Trout grinned evilly. His eyes burned hot with a malicious glow. "Blue-hair…you must be the Destined Child. Though you weren't invited, welcome to my humble home." A hand shot out and knocked Ryu's blade across the room. A second hand lashed forward and struck him in the neck. The ranger gurgled from a collapsed windpipe and crashed into a nearby table.

"It was foolish to attack me," Trout said simply, growing larger and more hideous with each passing breath, "but now it saves me the trouble of taking back that stupid hood. Such a device is best kept where it can do my kind no harm!" The demon ignored the dying ranger and advanced on the hapless Grass Runner.

But Bow had regained his senses and, upon seeing his best friend's final moments, raised his crossbow in anger. "Take back this, you rotten bastard!"

The quarrel cut the air with a screaming whine, slamming into Trout's eye. The demon howled and threw his head back in agony. He clawed the offensive dart free from his face, the shattered organ spilling milky white fluid onto the floor.

"Curse you, dog!" Trout roared. "Your head will be mine!"

The demon moved in for the kill when another roar shattered the night—the roar of a Dragon.

* * *

Nina was staring out into the night-shrouded streets from the windowsill of Ryu's apartment. When she and the others first arrived, it was a pigsty—and that was made as a compliment. Laundry and leftovers long since decomposed had been strewn everywhere. It smelled like wet dog fur. It was frightfully sickening.

The icebox had been even worse. It had simply been frightening. Nina was almost certain that some form of spontaneous genesis had occurred, giving rise to a new breed of life form.

Needless to say, the first thing Nina did—and forced the others to do as well—was clean up.

Now victory had been attained, and the apartment looked and smelled decent. Which only gave way to free time—time Nina spent looking out the window while Sten sharpened his knives and Katt slept on one of the cots.

Yua hopped up beside the Windian and poked her on the scalp. "You looking for my brother, Nina-neesan?" she asked bluntly.

Nina smiled the affirmative. "Am I that transparent, Yua-chan?"

"Oh, very," the girl said without hesitation. "You and Katt both."

"Is that so? Well, it's not like we tried to hide it or anything."

"You know, just staring out the window isn't going to make him come back any faster."

Nina sighed. "I know, but…I'm worried. Katt just says I'm thinking too much—she has a lot of confidence in Ryu's skills—but I can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen. It's just…that kind of night, I guess."

Yua looked at the Windian in genuine concern. "Well, whatever comes up, if it comes up, I'm sure Ryu-niisan can handle it," she said with gusto. "My oniisan can do anything."

Nina smiled at her exuberance. "It's nice to know that he has someone who believes so much in him. But you shouldn't put too much pressure on your perfect brother; Eva knows that I know how _that_ must feel, being the object of a sibling's hero-worship." She said that last bit softly, so that only she could hear her own words.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. A building collapsed in on itself.

"What was that?" Nina wondered in shock. She heard Sten walk up behind her and Katt awaken with a loud yawn. Both had noticed the destruction of a two-story building.

Another set of houses fell, ripped asunder by some force. Then that force reared its ugly head. And what an ugly head it was—serpentine and insectoid, a great, many-legged beast rose up into the night sky and issued forth a tremendous roar that shook the foundations of the city. Its tail slashed left and right, felling buildings by the dozen with each pass. It seemed that, in mere moments, the city of Hometown would be no more—if no one stood up against the titanic creature.

"What the hell is that thing?" Katt asked.

Sten answered blithely, "A nightmare come true."

Nina watched in horror as the Magic School she had studied at crumble into rubble. Something snapped in her heart at the sight. Firming her resolve she declared, "We have to fight it. We have to stop it from doing any more harm." With that, she ran out the door. The others followed her lead, only seconds behind.

When they arrived, the beast barely noticed them, for it was like a giant walking among ants.

Nina, so fortified and determined, started having second thoughts. But she shook them away. _It has to be stopped,_ she reminded herself. But the uncertainty remained.

Then she felt Katt's strong hand grip her arm encouragingly. The Woren's lips were ashen, her tawny face pale from her own doubts and fears.

But she believed, and that was all that mattered. Nina squeezed her hand thankfully and said aloud, "We have to protect the city!" She took wing, flying high into the air, blue-white lightning crackling about her hands.

At her command, bolts of energy struck the beastly creature, chest, neck, and face. It growled ferociously, but Nina deftly maneuvered through the air, avoiding its vicious slashes. Then she saw that the sky was not hers alone; Yua had taken wing as well, diving for the creature's eyes and hurling knives. Though the small blades struck home, the creature's hide was thick, and the missiles bounced off harmlessly.

Sten and Katt jumped atop rooftops, trying to get high enough to join in the fight. Against such a large enemy, it seemed uncertain how the two fighters would aid their winged comrades. But Katt found a way. She set her staff aside and grabbed hold of a large piece of rubble. Hefting with all the might in her deceptively small frame, the Woren lifted the makeshift projectile and launched it overhead. The stone struck home, shattering to pieces and bruising the great monster.

But for all the party's valiant efforts, the monster simply shrugged it all off. Contemptuously, it whipped its tail, slashing apart the buildings that Sten and Katt stood upon, and knocking both Nina and Yua out of the sky. In a single pass, they had been defeated and lay battered and broken on the ground.

* * *

Trout had heard of this power, had been warned of it since the beginning of his infernal existence. The power to destroy worlds, conquer gods, wreak pure and total havoc. The power to alter Destiny. The power of Destiny made flesh.

But none of that prepared him for the sight he beheld.

A majestic dragon, as beautiful as it was terrible, unfurled its mighty wings, the leathery flesh tearing through the roof and walls of the mansion as if they were paper. The reptilian head reared up on a serpentine neck, its bony crown ripping apart mortar and brick with just the barest turn. Talons as long and sharp as swords rent the floorboards to splinters, dropping Trout to the bottom level of his house.

And the Dragon followed him down with a roar to shatter mountains.

"Stay away! Stay away!" Trout cried in fear. He had once thought himself powerful and fearsome. But against this incarnation of power and fear, the demon could only tremble helplessly.

The Dragon's response was a breath of fire.

"ARRRRRRAAAAGHHH!"

When the final notes of Trout's scream faded into the ashes the remained of his body and home, the Dragon issued forth a rumbling bellow that shook the ruined mansion to its foundation. It was the roar of victory.

Bow pushed off a beam of charred wood that had caught his legs and stared up at the Dragon in awe. "Ryu," he murmured quietly, barely able to reconcile the reality before him—his best friend truly was a Dragon.

Then the sound of flames, cries, and destruction brought the Grass Runner out of his stupefaction. He saw the Magic School crumble and a horrible beast rear its monstrous head high. "Ryu!" Bow cried. "We've got another problem! The city's being attacked by…by…." He squinted, trying to place the strange familiar feeling of fear that stabbed at his heart. Then he gasped as realization dawned on him.

"Ryu! It's the monster from Gate! The one in the cave!" Again, fear quaked throughout his body, the old fear of a wandering child in a dank cave with naught but a monster before him. "It's him, the monster!"

But the Dragon could not speak the tongue of mere mortals. Instead, it put its thoughts to action. Picking Bow up by a talon, it set him upon its broad back and then flapped its powerful wings. It took to the air like an image out of a nightmare, frightening and powerful, beautiful and horrible, all at once.

Bow could only hang on to the iron-like scales for dear life as the Dragon zoomed through the air, closing in on the beast with rapid speed.

But when contact was made, the Dragon halted a distance from the beast. Had the great creature been capable of making human expressions, it would have seemed…thoughtful.

The beast turned to regard the Dragon…and it laughed. "The Destined Child and the little dog," it rumbled evilly. "Yes, I recognize you both. Ten years ago, I almost killed you. It was by luck alone—luck and the Dragon that sleeps inside you—that you lived!"

The beast spread its wings, bared its many fangs, and howled with enough force to blast down nearby houses. "I am Barubary, the Demon Dragon!" it declared. "It is appropriate that I fight you, Destined Child. Prepare to meet your end at the hand of your greatest nightmare!"

Barubary slithered like a snake, with all the speed of a viper, claws and fangs slashing and tearing. The Dragon, with its great, muscular bulk, could not dodge; blood sprayed forth as a carotid artery was torn apart. The serpentine creature roared in pain, a fountain of life spilling into the chill night air.

* * *

"Ryu!" Katt and Nina could only shout out his name in despair as they saw the Dragon fall onto its side. The powerful creature thrashed in agony; a talon clawed at the gaping wound in its throat. At last, its death throes subsided. It lay still.

"No! No!" Katt wailed, picking up another block and hurling it at Barubary; the beast knocked it out of the air with a contemptuous claw.

Yua was most affected by the sight of the Dragon's defeat. "Niisan," she murmured in disbelief.

"_NIISAN!_" she cried, running to the creature that was her brother. Bow was already there, drenched in the Dragon's blood, and vainly trying to awaken his friend. Yua slid to her knees beside him, resting her head against the wound in the Dragon's throat…a wound that had stopped bleeding, for there was nothing left to spill.

"Ryu…niisan," she murmured as hot tears ran down her cheeks.

"And so the Destined Child is dead!" Barubary roared triumphantly, breaking the moment with his cruelty. "By my hand, Lord Deathevan will dominate this world! Know fear and despair, humans! Your dark lord is come by the hand of his loyal servant, Barubary!"

At these words, Bow's eyes heated up in anger. Grabbing his crossbow, he took aim and fired, yelling defiantly, "_SHUT UP!_"

Against all odds, against all reason, the quarrel struck home—and tore out the Demon Dragon's eye.

Barubary howled at the pain and shouted, "Mortal! You will suffer for this insult! You will perish the final death!" And with that, the Demon Dragon's claw swept down….

And impaled Bow Doggie through the heart. The great talon tore his simple mortal body to shreds, leaving him a tattered rag-doll on the dirt.

"Bow!" Nina and Katt cried.

"Damn," was the only thing Sten, used to death on the battlefield, could say.

It seemed hopeless. Barubary was too powerful. He could kill them, one by one.

But then something happened.

The Dragon took a single, gasping, ragged breath.


	26. Chapter 26

Author's Note: People ask why I keep being mean to the characters. My answer's already been given in the story. "Where Dragons walk, misery follows." And it's just going to get worse for Ryu. There are some quotes later in this chapter that refer to the story Ryu tells Nina back in Chapter Four. See? Everything ties back together! Yay for far-reaching plot twists, nuances, and story intricacies. Stay on the lookout for more of them.

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Aruhamel**

Bow lay dead.

His blood stained the ruined streets.

Amidst the fires of destruction, a life—only one among many on this dark night—faded into nothingness.

But the death of Bow Doggie had already become so much more than just another statistic.

The Dragon drew in a ragged breath.

Arisen from the dead, like an avenging angel, the Dragon lifted its battered form, eyes ablaze like burning coals. The rage within those orbs, blind and immeasurable, struck terror into the Demon Dragon, Barubary.

"This is the power of the Destined Child?" he murmured, his terrible voice quaking.

But the Dragon was incapable of mortal speech, for it was a creature of instinct, of destruction—of godliness. And not even Barubary, one of the strongest of the demon lords, could compare to the power of a God.

The Dragon charged forth, maddened with bloodlust, driven by pure instinct, claws raking, wings batting, tail thrashing. Barubary sought to defend, sought to counter—but against the fury of the most ancient and most terrifying of Gods, the Demon Dragon could only founder in despair. Black ichor split upon the ground as long gashes tore Barubary's flesh.

Then Barubary fell. With his last breath, he growled defiantly, "Deathevan will not fall to you, Dragon God! Though I die, my master will rule this world!"

But the Dragon was a creature beyond the thoughts of mortal tongues. It did not understand the feeble wailing of even a demon lord. For the demon was mortal and it could die; the Dragon lived beyond death. It looked upon the fallen demon dispassionately, the rage subsiding. The fury abated. But the Dragon was not yet finished, for Barubary yet drew breath, as thin and ragged as it was.

The Dragon inhaled.

And then there was another breath of fire.

* * *

In the aftermath, Ryu knelt by the body of his dying friend. Though he himself was horribly wounded—the injuries of the Dragon carried on to his human form—the ranger felt no pain, for one look upon the torn body of Bow Doggie was enough to dispel any complaints for his own injuries.

"Can't…feel my legs anymore," Bow murmured, blood running out of the corner of his lips. He could not turn his head, so he did not see the gaping hole in his belly and the shattered base of what used to be his spine. "Hey…I think I managed to shut off the water pump this time," he said with a chuckle.

Ryu could say nothing. He just cried silently and cradled Bow's head in his lap.

"This is a way to go, isn't it, buddy? We had some pretty close calls…I guess it's just karma that it all catches up…Been too lucky in life, I guess. About…about time…."

The life faded from his eyes. The head lolled over. He was gone.

* * *

"And so we inter a most valuable friend, a man who's greatest virtue was finding joy in any situation, no matter how grim or how stark the day. Our friend, Bow Doggie, who always found the silver lining in even the darkest of clouds."

Rand had been the one to write the speech for the wake. But the words seemed hollow; what happiness or comfort could be found on such a day?

They buried Bow in a mausoleum that Kilgore donated; the noblemen felt responsible for bringing Bow into Hometown in the first place, and while Ryu felt the gift was pretentious, he did not argue the point. Bow deserved a fitting grave.

The memorial service was held by Rand and a few of the people from Township, who came to Hometown for the wake. After the words Barubary had spoken concerning Saint Eva and his master that shared so similar a name, none in the party wanted to trust a funeral to a cleric of the Church. But Ryu did not stay long at even Bow's wake.

The ranger left as soon as the body was interred. For a very long time, Ryu had worked alone, relying on no one except Bow. It was only fitting that he mourn his friend alone. In any case, watching the casket—thankfully closed, for none had been able to repair the damage Barubary had inflicted on the mutilated corpse—had been far too much to ask of the sullen ranger.

But the mental image of the casket and the shattered thing within it kept on pressing against his thoughts. Ryu found himself haunted by the torn belly, the numbed legs, the blood-flecked lips. And, invariably, he started to think back through all the adventures that he and Bow had been though—adventures that led to the moment of the Grass Runner's death.

Ryu came to a bar that he and Bow used to frequent while acting as the Ranger Guild's apprentices. The grungy place had not changed in the six months he had spent chasing Yua across half the world. Feeling that this place was as close to a true memorial that Bow could ask for, Ryu entered and sat at his customary stool by the bar. It felt empty despite the hearty patronage; the seat next to the ranger lay painfully empty.

He ordered the same drinks that they always drank—in double portion. The ranger drained both servings without even tasting the potent brews. It was, in a simple way, the proper memorial for a greedy, upbeat, carefree skirt-chaser.

"And you'd always order another round, even after I finished," he murmured quietly, hailing the bartender for another flagon. He lifted the refilled container to his lips. "To you, my friend."

That last drink gave him a pounding headache. The vertigo only encouraged him to lay down his head on the bar. If he had a mirror, he would have seen bloodshot eyes and a nose red from drunkenness. He was quite a sight, a ranger seemingly down on his luck, with a sour countenance. Unsurprisingly, people gave him a wide berth. Ryu welcomed it. He wanted to be alone.

"It isn't good to be alone," came a soft and caring voice. Nina.

He did not look at her. She, with her empathy and understanding nature, was the last person he wanted to see. He did not want to share his pain with anyone else; he needed to mourn—he needed to be alone.

"Ryu, I won't pretend to understand what you must be feeling right now, but I'm here if you want to talk. And I think you need to talk to someone. Bow was a dear friend to you…it'll help you heal if you—"

"Go away," he snapped harshly. She backed away, startled and hurt. He did not relent. "I don't want to heal, Nina. I want to feel this gaping hole in me. I want to keep it there."

Nina warily ventured, "Why?"

"Because it reminds me of what I am! I bring misery wherever I go. You almost drowned. Sten lost an ear. And it kept getting worse. Now my best friend in the whole world is dead. And it's because I couldn't save him!"

Ryu pounded his fist on the bar, shattering it. The other patrons turned to stare; the bartender wanted to intervene, but after that display of strength, the bartender did not dare to call the bouncers.

But the ranger was not paying any of them any attention. "What's the point of this power in me, Nina, if I can't save the people I care about? Next time, you or Katt might end up dead, or even Yua. I…I'm so fucking useless!" He grabbed the bar and tore it right out of its fixtures, hurling it into the rack of bottles and ales on the wall. Wood and glass shattered ominously.

And a drunken and melancholy Ryu wobbled out of the stunned establishment, leaving Nina silent in his wake.

* * *

Ryu had no idea where he was going. Plodding one step at a time, he wandered aimlessly through the ruined streets of Hometown. All around him were shattered buildings and grim faces. It had started to rain, the water mixing with the ashes and soot to make everything oily and muddy. Despair rankled in the air like an oppressive weight.

It was during this nightly walk, confused and drenched, that the ranger stumbled into a dark and loathsome figure, hidden in shadow and radiating malice. In his stupor, Ryu could only make out burning red eyes…and the sensation of a clawed hand wrapping around his neck.

"I could not believe it, unless I had witnessed it myself," hissed the dark figure, "but you, the stripling Destined Child, actually defeated Barubary. Indeed, you are powerful, a creature to be reckoned with and watched closely. But what is this? You can barely stand and you reek of alcohol. This is the mortal who bested Barubary? This is the mortal who's memories I stole? What a pitiful thing you have become!"

Ryu felt pain shoot up his back as he was thrown into a wall.

"But no matter," continued the figure, "for I, Aruhamel, Lord of Nightmare, will send you the worst torments Hell has to offer. You will have the punishment of eternal waking!" The clawed hand gripped Ryu's face and squeezed, a burning, fiery touch. "Witness, Destined Child, your nightmare!"

* * *

Katt, Sten, and Yua had not been idle in the aftermath of Barubary's rampage. They, along with the other survivors, had organized a relief center from the burnt-out remains of Trout's house, the largest in the city. Kilgore's wealth went into establishing supply lines from Township and Corsair, funneling in needed food and medicines for the survivors.

Amidst the chaos were Katt, Sten, and Yua, taking the lead and ensuring that everyone got their fair share of the relief. Katt had to crack a few heads belonging to greedy or shady characters. Sten organized a militia to police the people. Even Yua played a role, gathering all the able men and women and sending them out on hunts for more food and resources. Workers and carpenters from Township, led by Rand, arrived that morning, bearing with them dried meats and lumber. Already rebuilding was underway. All in all, the relief effort was successful.

But through it all, Ryu had remained aloof and apart. They had seen little of the blue-haired ranger, and Katt had started to worry. Perhaps it was a lover's premonition, but when a knock came on her door that evening, the Woren immediately felt a pang of dread.

Beyond the door was Nina, struggling to carry a comatose Ryu in her arms.

"What happened?" Katt cried, easily hefting the heavy ranger onto a nearby cot.

"I don't know," Nina said honestly. She too, was worried sick over Ryu. She hastily explained, "After Bow's memorial service, he went on a drinking binge. I found him in an alley, passed out. I tried to wake him up, but he's not responding—and he feels so cold, like he's dead! This isn't a stupor, Katt. Something's really wrong with him!"

Katt laid a damp cloth on Ryu's forehead and covered him with a blanket. "Call up Sten and Yua," she said. "Have them bring up some of the medicines. I…I don't know what kinds; I'm not a doctor. Um, maybe some smelling salts will wake him up?"

"Right," Nina agreed breathlessly, "smelling salts. Yes, that'll do the trick; I'm sure of it." She rushed out of the room with all speed, leaving Katt alone with the comatose ranger.

In the wake of nightmare, Ryu stirred; his brows knitted painfully and his lips curled into a snarl. Surely some inner demon was waging a war against the stalwart ranger. And all Katt could do was watch. She absently brushed a hand across his brow, pushing the blue locks aside.

"Come back to us," she quietly prayed.

* * *

"Ryu! Ryu!"

Ryu Bateson awoke with a start and looked around uncertainly. Somehow, everything seemed…bigger. And alien, as well. No, that was not quite right. Everything was the same—it was _he_ who was _smaller_!

He looked at the clothes he wore, at the bed he was lying in: coarse woolen shirt, soft linen sheets. And his hands! They were so small, so delicate, unmarred by a swordsman's calluses or the scars of a hundred fights.

His hands were that of a child.

"Ryu! Could you come down?"

It was a familiar voice, but one he was sure he had not heard in years…but those years never existed, for he was a child—not an adult. And this is a voice he knew well. Ryu got out of bed, excited and exuberant, and ran down the steps to see his father.

A singular thought ran through his young mind: _Otousan is still with me!_ But that thought was soon changed, for otousan had never really left him: _Coming, otousan, coming!_ After all, he always came down whenever his father called for him. He was eleven years old; he was a big boy and could do a man's work. Whenever his father called, it was to do a man's work. And so he came down.

"Ah, there you are," Ganer Bateson said with a smile that brightened the brown beard of his face. Though it had started to take on some salt-and-pepper, the facial growth was still thick. Ryu could not imagine his father without it. Ganer rested a strong hand on his shoulder. "Ryu, Yua's gone off again. Could you find her for me? I've a little bit of work to do here awhile yet. When you find her, we'll have breakfast and morning prayers."

Ryu nodded emphatically and ran out the door. He already knew where to look for his little sister. Yua always went to that place whenever she could. So Ryu went to the far end of the village and parted the thick grasses at forest's edge. Any other child might have been reluctant to enter the shady wood, but Ryu had traversed its hidden paths many times. It was like a second home to him. Indeed, he felt…calmer, stronger in the glades of this particular forest. It was as if warm, loving hands wrapped around him, stilling his fears and infusing him with courage.

But something felt odd this day, for the calming influence of the land was not there. Ryu felt alone—desperately, horribly alone.

"Yua?" Ryu called meekly and uncertainly, feeling a tremble of fear in his stomach. He made his way through the thick grass and escaped the suddenly-oppressive wood, stumbling onto the dirt paths leading to the caves and the sleeping dragon that guarded them.

Somehow, the boy felt as if he had lived through these events before, for he half-expected to find Yua at the dragon's head…and he kept looking over his shoulder, as if expecting some vicious monster to jump out of the grass at him. But there was no monster and, more surprisingly, Yua was not by the dragon.

"Yua?" Ryu called again, growing truly worried. Yua always went to the dragon. Always. "Yua!" he shouted frantically. "Yua, where are you? Yua!"

"You will not find her here, Destined Child."

The boy spun, coming face to face with Barubary—somehow, he knew the name of the creature, though he was sure he had never seen it before.

"We have met, Destined Child," assured the Demon Dragon, "you simply play the role of the simpleton that is demanded of you, and, therefore, you do not remember. But that is neither there nor here." The monster slithered toward the boy, its great bulk truly terrifying to behold. Ryu fell on his rump and tried to scuttle away—but he was held fast by the evil gleam in Barubary's eyes.

"There is nowhere to run, Destined Child," the Demon Dragon hissed maliciously. "There is no sword blade, no Dragon to aid you. There is no Bow Doggie to take my eye."

_Bow Doggie._

"Bow! You'll pay for what you did to Bow!" Ryu shouted angrily, without even knowing why. He had never heard of a Bow Doggie before. But somehow…like how he knew Barubary's name…he _knew_ Bow Doggie. Ryu shook his head, focusing on the moment. "Where's Yua, monster?" he demanded.

"Gone," Barubary said tauntingly. "Gone—because you lost her."

_Lost her. I lost her._

Ryu gripped his temples, for suddenly a throbbing, encapsulating pain shot through his brain. He cried out and fell to his knees.

_…You see, the little sister told the little boy to sleep in the mountains so that he could meet his mother, too. But when he woke up, he couldn't find his father or sister anywhere, no matter how hard he looked…_

Ryu did not know where that memory came from. It did not feel like a memory from his mind…but seemingly that of someone else. Someone older. But he pushed those thoughts aside. He clenched his teeth and growled, "Where…is…Yua?" But another stab of pain turned the last syllables into an incomprehensible gurgle.

"Pitiful, Destined Child," Barubary rumbled mockingly. "You can't even make sense of reality anymore. You truly are a pitiful sight."

_…He never stopped looking for them. He grew up, but he never forgot them…So he keeps looking, even if he can only find them in his dreams…_

_Dreams…dreams…. Dreams!_

And then it dawned on him. The pain faded away instantly. Ryu stood up—and when he looked at his hands, they were the slender, strong hands that he recognized. A fighter's hands. "A dream," he said simply, confidently, "this is a dream. And Yua is safe; I found her again." He pointed defiantly at Barubary, giving the Demon Dragon a look of unfathomable loathing. "And you're dead."

At those words, Barubary melted away. In his place as a man cloaked in shadows, with red eyes like crimson, bloody pinpricks staring out menacingly.

"Who are you?" Ryu demanded coldly. "You obviously have power in dreams to have constructed this…this place."

"I constructed nothing," the figure said in a voice like wind over gravel. "This place is your memory. What you see here is what happened to you. But you remember little of it because I stole it from you." The figure swept a spindly hand; where its path traced, the air wavered and transformed. Soon, the forestland had become the town of Gate.

And Gate was being attacked.

Creatures the likes of which Ryu had never seen set homes to flame and butchered people in the streets. He saw Ganer, his father, fighting valiantly against the monsters, calling forth magical lightning and thunder to purge the world of the demonic beasts. And amidst the carnage was a single, beautiful, monumental woman, who held the invaders at bay with a simple gesture.

Valerie Bateson…his mother.

"Okasan," Ryu murmured. He suddenly turned on the shadowy figure. "Why don't I remember this? I would have remembered this attack!"

"Did I not already tell you, Destined Child? You do not remember because I stole it from you!" The figure grew, the shadows melted away. Where the spindly thing once stood was a nightmare. "I am Aruhamel, Lord of Nightmare! I have claimed the minds of countless beings—even the immortal Tree of Wisdom, Yggdrasil, is under my sway!"

A talon raked the air, pointing at the ranger. "And soon, so will the Destined Child."

Ryu bared his teeth and stood defiantly against the demon lord's proud words. "You demons talk too much," he said simply. His emerald eyes flashed once. When they flashed again, they were glowing bright red—but not the red of blood, like Aruhamel's. His was the red of fire.

"You keep on saying how you'll kill me," Ryu continued. With each breath he took, his eyes burned brighter and brighter. Red-glowing embers started to appear around him, floating up into the air, higher and higher. The air shimmered with heat, hummed with power. "You declare yourselves as if it should mean something to me. Guess what? It doesn't. Because I've killed a lot of you lately. And you're next on the list, Aruhamel."

There was the sound of wool and leather tearing. A long, fleshy tail sprouted from the seat of Ryu's trousers, slashing to and fro behind him. His boots were ripped apart as three-clawed feet ground into the earth, digging up divots of dirt. His gauntlets split open as his arms thickened and long, sharp talons grew out of his fingertips. And, most impressively, his shirt burst apart as a pair of massive, leathery wings erupted from his shoulder blades. Ryu gave the wings an experimental flap, letting blood flow through the newly-birthed veins.

Aruhamel looked on the transformation with unsuppressed awe. "_This_ is the true power of the Destined Child," he breathed in terror. "Incredible—truly incredible! It was not the Dragon that we should have feared—no!—it was this creature, this warrior…God above, what have my machinations unleashed?"

Ryu's eyes were brilliant red as he gave Aruhamel a deadly glare. "You've unleashed your doom."


	27. Chapter 27

Author's Note: Some bad stuff's happened to the party these last couple of chapters. Now, it's the demons' turn. During the "memory lane" sequence with Yggdrasil, I would have added something from BoF 4, had I actually gotten a chance to play it.

Warnings and Shameless Self-Promotion: My updates will become less frequent (but I will still be updating!), as I am in the middle of planning another novelization. If you wish to read that (among my other works), feel free to click on my name at the top of the page; it should bring you to my profile and all the wonderful time I've wasted posting stuff up onto Twenty-Five: What the Tree Said

Katt watched over Ryu's too-still form with much anxiety. The fiery Woren was ever an energetic one, given to toe tapping and pacing when agitated or waiting. But now she was veritably trembling, so great was her concern. The poor girl would dry-wash her hands, or soak a cloth in hot water to place on Ryu's forehead, or just brush his hair to the side. It she did this more for the action than for any hope of awakening him.

Nina entered then, brows drawn tightly into a frown. "Still nothing?" Katt shook her head. The Windian set down a tincture at the bedside table. "The doctor said that this might bring him around," Nina murmured with little confidence. In the three days since Ryu fell, nothing seemed to rouse him from his coma.

Nevertheless, Katt quietly applied the potion to a fresh cloth and placed it against Ryu's nose. The aroma did nothing; he did not even stir at the potent odor. The Woren set the phial aside with a shaking hand. She looked ready to cry, so overwhelming was her despair.

Nina saw this and reached out, taking her friend's hands and giving them a squeeze. "It'll be all right," she murmured with as much assurance as she could muster. It was difficult; she, too, felt hopelessness sink in. No longer were they waiting for Ryu to awaken. Now it was like they were waiting for him to die.

"This is too much," Katt said softly. "First Bow and now Ryu. This isn't right. This isn't fair." She tore her hands free of Nina's calming touch and punched the wall hard enough to put a hole in the plaster. "Why is this happening, Nina? Why are we always being attacked by demons and monsters and God alone knows what else? Why are our friends suffering and dying? What the hell is going on?" By the end of her tirade, she was shouting.

Nina had nothing to say in reply. She, too, wondered. And she, too, had no answers.

* * *

Outside, on the steps of the apartment building, Yua Bateson was crying into her knees. _This isn't right. This isn't fair._ The litany exactly similar to Katt's ran through her mind. For her brother was dying, she was certain of it—and she could do nothing to help him.

Ten years she dreamed of being with him again. It was hard, clinging to the memory of her brother, so pure and kind-hearted, when all she did was steal and lie and cheat in order to survive. But after so long, they were together again. She could be that little girl again, whose only concern was teasing her brother unmercifully.

So cruel was life, that it was taking her brother from her yet again!

It started to rain. It suited the mood. She did not notice.

But then the pattering ceased to hit her, for an umbrella had been opened above her. She looked up curiously, her tears abating briefly.

"Won't do ye any good to catch sick yerself, lass." Sten Legacy sat himself down on the steps beside her, taking refuge from the storm. "An' it won't do _him_ any good either."

Yua turned away, feeling fresh wetness rise on her cheeks again. "I can't stay in there," she said. "I can't stay in that room, knowing that he's going to die. I should be there—I'm his sister—but I can't…I can't stay there, Sten."

"An honest enough feeling," he replied, "an' not one to be ashamed of. I can't imagine what yer going though, since I've got no siblings of me own. But I'd think that if I did, an' I were flat on my back, I'd like the first thing I see when I wake up to be family."

* * *

A flash of light, a burning sensation. The smell of flesh charring, the sound of it crackling.

Aruhamel was living in hell.

Claws as sharp as swords tore into his flesh, slashed over his organs. Jaws more powerful than that of crocodiles tore into his shoulders. Flame licked his wounds. "Witness, Aruhamel, your nightmare," his torturer growled mockingly in an inhuman voice.

"No…stop…please…" the demon lord begged meekly.

"THERE WILL BE NO ABATEMENT!"

Aruhamel screamed as talons impaled him to the quick. Blood frothed at his lips. "Eva…Deathevan…by all that is in your power…save your loyal servant!"

"Your God won't save you, demon," the man-dragon announced ominously. "Where I am, they will not be. Where I am, there is only the misery that a Dragon can bring! But now that misery falls on you."

It was no longer Ryu speaking, but the Dragon—or rather, the creature that the Dragon had turned into. Armed with the power of a wyrm, but with the cunning intelligence of a man, the man-dragon was like an avenging angel, a doom-bringer, a harbinger and forerunner of every mortal agony. It was Despair incarnate, Torment made material.

This was the power of the Destined Child, a revelation that Aruhamel learned at a terrible price.

With each flick of a talon, the man-dragon flayed off a strip of skin. With each bite, it shattered a muscle. Slowly it brought the demon lord to the precipice of destruction.

"You were foolish to awaken me here, demon," the man-dragon murmured over his victim's tortured screams. "Here, I am but a mere shadow, a figment of the Destined Child's mind."

Flick, flick, flick.

"But you are here in the physical! Here, you are material! Here, I can get you."

Bite, bite, bite.

"Where will you run now, O mighty demon lord? Where will you turn? Who will you pray to? Your God won't save you from me, for there is no place for you or your master to hide!"

Aruhamel, pitiful and dying, weakly raised a hand and pleaded, "No…no more…please…mercy…."

And for once, the voice of a simple blue-haired man cut through the wickedness of the man-dragon, "After what you did to Bow, there won't be any mercy!" But the voice was soon overtaken by the sheer power of the creature. "I grow tired of this game, Aruhamel. Now, I kill you. With your death, I will awaken again. And I _will_ hunt down your master. His legions dwindle. He has thrown all his forces against me. Next, his head will roll."

But the change in tone did not escape even pain-blinded Aruhamel. "There…are…two…two of you…."

The words were so softly spoken that the man-dragon did not hear it. The creature advanced, raising its talons high for the final stroke.

* * *

Night had fallen and still Nina and Katt kept their quiet vigil over their friend. Sten and Yua joined them, with the girl sitting at her brother's left hand, quietly administering what medicines they had acquired. Nothing worked, but even the futility of ointments was favorable to the stillness of doing nothing.

It seemed that another night would pass by with tension in the air…but then Ryu stirred. What happened next was like a vision out of nightmare.

His eyes suddenly snapped open, burning with a brilliant red glow, like rubies set on fire. As if some spirit possessed him, he sat upright, mouth opened in a long, loud howl. His friends, witnesses to this strange and horrific event, saw canines lengthen into fangs. The skin darkened, scaled over and hardened; fingernails became talons; horns tore through the skin of his forehead.

Finally, with a great burst and a scream, the leathery wings tore free from his back, their great span knocking Yua, Nina, and Katt to the ground. Reflexively, Sten reached for a knife, for the creature before him seemed more like a monster than any man he had befriended.

When the metamorphosis was complete, Ryu—and indeed, it was Ryu, if judging only by the blue hair—slumped against the wall, breathing heavily. He seemed dazed, yet…strangely at peace. A smile touched his lips.

Yua was the first to regain her senses after the stunning transformation. She reached over and cupped her brother's alien face in her hand. "Niisan…Niisan?"

Wearily, he lifted his eyes to her. The red glow had faded, revealing a familiar pair of emerald eyes. "Otousan…doesn't like it when you run off, Yua," he murmured dizzily.

Yua smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're awake! You're awake…oh, thank Eva."

That seemingly innocuous prayer drew a strangled frown from the alien visage. Ryu could not remember everything that happened in the dream, but he knew three things: Aruhamel was dead, the power of the "Destined Child"—whatever it was—had been awakened, and Saint Eva was somehow responsible for everything.

The others were equally gladdened by Ryu's recovery, but also astonished. Katt took his hand and examined the massive talons. "My God, what happened to you?" she asked in wonder. "What did this to you?"

"Was it the Dragon?" Nina reasoned.

The ranger nodded and explained, "A demon attacked me and put me into a coma, a monster named Aruhamel. It was he who attacked my hometown of Gate, separated Yua and me, and then wiped our memories, making it difficult for us to track one another. Aruhamel, like all the other demons, kept calling me the 'Destined Child,' and kept on talking about some power I had. Well, it seemed that the power woke up.

"Before, I could turn into a Dragon, but I didn't have any conscious control over my actions. When Aruhamel triggered it, I turned into…this thing. A hybrid, I guess you can call it. As strong as a Dragon, but with the mind of a man. With this power, I fought Aruhamel in my dreams and I…" and here, he quieted, for he had an inkling of the evil tortures he had put his enemy through, "I killed him."

"And with his power broken, you were able to escape the dream he entrapped you in," Nina realized, having some education in this form of sorcery.

Ryu nodded. "That's about what I figured."

"So, what exactly is this 'Destined Child?'" Sten asked. "And why are the demons targeting you?"

The ranger had an answer for this one, one that he had been mulling over since he defeated the Lord of Nightmare. "I don't know exactly what this is all about," he admitted, "but I know who will. Aruhamel mentioned that he had enslaved the Tree of Wisdom, Yggdrasil. Now, if I remember correctly, that's the name of one of the oldest trees in the world, just past the Valley of Fog. According to legend, it used to be alive and would give out advice to those who asked."

"But that's just a story; the tree hasn't done anything in centuries, even if it were true," Nina countered. "And besides, you could only get advice if you could speak its language, which no one knows."

"It's worth a try regardless," Ryu pressed. "It's the only lead I have."

Katt pounded the table with renewed energy. "All right then! It's settled; we're heading to the Valley of Fog."

* * *

The Valley of Fog was precisely that: a barren vale that spilled into the great Sea of Trees, the largest forest in the world, all of which was thick with a misty, coiling cloud. Magic was thick in this mystic land, where strange sights and sounds were readily heard by those who dared its green venues. It was even said creatures alien and supernatural made their homes here.

The bizarre aura of the place was unsettling to most in the party. Nina and Yua, unable to stretch their wings, found the place frightening and disquieting. Katt, usually so fiery and upbeat, was subdued by a pall that demanded silence. Sten, accustomed to foreign lands in his many travels, was at a loss for words and kept his hand at the hilts of his knives.

But strangely enough, Ryu felt…at peace here. Perhaps it was the transformation that had taken him that changed his perspective. Indeed, his eyes seemed to dimly glow again as he walked the soft grasses of the woods. The scales of his newly-molded flesh were warm with some comforting heat. Here, in this mystical place, Ryu the Dragon did not feel the curse that dogged his footsteps.

Eventually, the party made it to the heart of the woodland. To them, it seemed as if the branches parted to admit them in—or rather, to admit Ryu. They came to the largest and oldest tree any of them had ever seen, which they could only surmise was Yggdrasil, the Tree of Wisdom.

Nina, having read many legends about it at the Magic School, touched the aged bark in awe. "It's magnificent," she murmured.

Katt huffed, unimpressed. "It's a big piece of firewood," she said dryly.

The Windian shook her head. "No, I can feel a power dwelling within." She looked to Ryu pointedly. "But it needs to be drawn out."

Yua squeezed her brother's taloned hand. "Go on, Ryu-niisan."

The ranger flapped his leathery wings once and, with a swish of his tail, stepped up to the great tree. Resting a claw on the trunk, he closed his eyes; the dull red glow suffused through the lids. "Awaken, Yggdrasil," he murmured in a voice no longer his own, in a language he—nor any of the others—could not understand. His tone became demanding. It became a command: "_Okinasai, Iigudorashiru!_"

There was the rumbling of the very earth. There was the darkening of the entire sky. And then, like a master sculptor plying his hand across a mass of clay, a face appeared on the aged trunk. A face with eyes, nose, and mouth. A face old, tired, but awake.

All around were expressions of surprise and murmurs of disbelief. All except Ryu, who somehow expected this transformation. Suddenly, the trees of the wood arranged themselves into an impenetrable barrier, separating the ranger from his friends, who pounded on the assembled bark futilely.

Alone with the Tree of Wisdom, Ryu seemed to transform yet again. His eyes changed from their emerald hue to brilliant red to golden yellow.

The tree seemed to notice this. "A Dragon," the tree rumbled with a yawn. "Ah, yes…I saw you in the dream. You defeated the demon lord, Aruhamel, who kept me in slumber."

Ryu spoke with respectful tones, "Yes, I defeated the demon. I now have questions to ask of you—I beg you to answer them."

If trees could nod, Yggdrasil did.

"Who are these demons?"

"Servants of the Dark One," Yggdrasil replied. "The spawn of Myria, the ancient goddess of wishes foul and fair."

"Who is the Dark One, the spawn of Myria?"

"He has many names: Dark One, Spirit of Destruction, Son of Damnation, Saint Eva," Yggdrasil replied. "His true name is Deathevan."

"The church of Saint Eva—what is its purpose to this foul deity?"

"The answer lies not with me," Yggdrasil replied. "The Highlander city of Highfort will carry that you seek."

"The Destined Child—what is it?"

"The creator of all things, the destroyer of all things," Yggdrasil replied. "It is to this child that the power over life and death is given—the lost power of the Dragons."

"Why do the demons fear me?"

"The Destined Child alone has the power to defeat Deathevan," Yggdrasil replied. "This child alone can use the power of the Dragons to end His evil schemes."

"A final question, Wise One: what happened to me?" Ryu asked imploringly, outstretching his changed hands. "What monster have I become? The curse of my blood…will I only bring more death and destruction as I am now?"

At this, the tree's formulaic answers faded away. Yggdrasil spoke quietly, mournfully. "You are a Dragon, but not only a Dragon. For you are the descendant of mighty Odjin and divine Kaiser, blessed by Ladon, Lord of Wyrms, kissed by Agni the Mighty One, embraced by Infinity the Endless.

"You are the prince of the Brood, the mightiest to carry your proud and noble line. In you lies the power to change the world—for good or ill. In you lies the responsibility of the Brood. In you lies the curse of all Dragonkind.

"You have taken on your true form, as a warrior-prince of this ancient race. To you passes all the accumulated strength of your heritage. The honor of the Dragons is yours, O prince…and its curse.

"As your servant, O prince, I give you what I give to all who follow your hard road: I give you the memory of the ancients and the memory of what is yet to come…."

_He was Ryu, the survivor of a dastardly attack by the forces of the Dark Dragon Empire. It was up to him to defeat evil, to bring peace to the world. Yes, it was his responsibility as the prince of the Dragons. In his veins flowed the blood of heroes._

_So why did he hate this journey? Why did he resent the power inside him? All he ever brought was misery. Tuntar lay in ruins because he was near. Nina lost her youth because she joined his mission. Cerl and Alan lost themselves because of his interference._

_He did not care about saving the world. He did not care about the responsibilities of his damned blood. All he wanted was to take revenge for his sister. That was all. Was that not enough? Did he need to mask selfishness behind heroism? Were all heroes as selfish as he? Perhaps he would never know…._

"Yes," Yggdrasil said. "You doubted. But it is human to doubt. You must yet learn to believe! Only when you find the belief in yourself, in the rightness of your path, will you know! A true hero always seeks knowledge, for it is with knowledge that he gains understanding and power. When you finally find your answer, when you finally believe in yourself, then you can take on the mantle of heroism as you please."

_He was Ryu, the last prince of the Dragons. To him was given the power to find God and to ask the question: Why? Garr wanted to know so badly. Nina would support him the whole way. Rei and Teepo, if he were here, would help without a second's hesitation. Even absent-minded Momo would give him assistance if he just asked._

_But really, it was not anyone else's concern except his and Garr's. Dragging the others on this insane quest could get them hurt or killed. Was it not Garr who told him that it was the fate of all Dragons to bring destruction wherever they went? Just how many people died because they knew him? Enemies, friends, family—they were all still dead after meeting him. It was a wonder that his friends still lived._

_Ryu had the sick feeling that it would only be a matter of time before their luck ran out…._

"But you must also believe in your friends," continued Yggdrasil. "The curse of the Dragons is only as powerful as you wish it to be. Only when you find harmony with the self and with all around you will you conquer the curse that hounds you. Only then will your life's journey be complete! Walk the road! Turn not aside from the challenges that face you! And always believe that your allies will be near!"

_He was Ryu, a Ranger with a D-Ratio of 1/8192. It was a good enough life, being a low-D. He had food, he had clothes, he had shelter. Sure, he did not get same respect as the mid- and high-Ds, like Bosche and Zeno…but that never mattered to him. He was happy just doing his job._

_So why did he ever get involved in all this mess? He killed Zeno. He killed Rangers. He killed former friends, former coworkers…familiar faces, familiar names. Since that Dragon bonded with him, all he brought about was destruction. Would it never end?_

_But the doubts faded away, every single one of them, when a quiet little girl gripped his hand. When the too-thin arms wrapped around his waist. When the smooth cheek of her face pressed against his back. The doubts were gone. He did not question why, anymore. That was beyond him. All that mattered was what was ahead. And what lay beyond…._

"Yes," Yggdrasil said. "This is the road you must take. This is where you will learn, where you will master yourself. Look ahead, and then look beyond. The curse will have no hold over you then. Not when you reach for the sky, not when what you seek is finally in your hand. Stretch forth your hand and grasp it!"

Ryu Bateson staggered and fell to his knees. He threw his arms out wide and released a roar that made the very canopy tremble with its power. In that roar was all the joy he felt, even beyond the joy held within the tears that streamed down his face. _There is a way!_ he thought with the happiness of a man trapped in darkness who finally sees the light. _The curse will hold me no longer! Ray Braddoc—hate and misery and misfortune will no longer hold us! My God, my God, there is a way!_


	28. Chapter 28

Author's Notes: Using original Japanese names for the princess and Trubo. It's because I don't remember the English version at all. 

Romance Notes: I compiled all the reviews one evening and realized how many demands there have been for this or that pairing for Ryu. Let me just say this: it's out of my hands. Seriously. The entire story's all outlined from chapter twenty to the very end. Because outlines make life so much simpler, I intend to stick to it. For good or ill, Ryu's love life has already been determined; all I'm doing now is filling in the details. An exception to this is an event in St. Eva Church, which I might alter from the original game…or not.

Final note: I've been working on a Final Fantasy Tactics novel while doing this. As such, updates will be less frequent, but still regular. Expect an update once a week. In any event, I'll still be finished around December, 2006.

This chapter's intentionally short; focus is on Turvoe and Sten. Next chapter will be the finish of Highfort. Then things will get rocky again for our heroes. Just to settle things, here's a list of characters who won't be showing up: Bow, Spar, and Bleu.

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Karma**

Highfort, the mercenary kingdom. The most militarily advanced of the modern nations, it boasts some of the finest soldiers and tacticians in history. The Academies of War were filled with those young, inquisitive, and creative minds from all across the globe—yet no foreigner could ever hope to rival a Highlander's uncanny cunning on the battlefield.

But tactics alone does not an army make. Factories belch white smoke into the sky, where the munitions lines construct the implements of war: sword, spear, shield, plate, and even the mighty gun. Chemists work night and day, concocting the volatile powders and liquids needed to create deadly flames and blasts. Gunpowder, bomb, and cannon were as common as knife, blade, and arrow.

It was this place that the party of adventurers had come, under the sage advice of the Wise Tree, Yggdrasil. It was to this place that Sten Legacy never wanted to return.

His agitation was palpable. The normally professional Highlander scratched at his scarred visage mercilessly, as if the self-infliction of pain would deter his mind from more agonizing memories. The others took note of his strange habit, and looked on him in concern. But it was a fight that only he alone could wage; Sten grew more and more distant the closer and closer that he got to Highfort.

At last, the party walked across the great drawbridge that led to High Castle, capital fortress of the warrior clan. Sten was decidedly melancholy.

Thus, it was surprising that he reached out one long arm and grasped Ryu's shoulder. "Let me speak to them first," said the former soldier in resignation. "My people are not as open as ye might think; they will…be more cooperative with our quest if I were to explain." For they had come to discover the machinations of Saint Eva—Deathevan. At this, Ryu gave a quiet nod, realizing how difficult this trial must be for the Highlander.

Sten sighed to fortify himself and walked up to the gate guards. "Halt, and speak your purpose!" commanded one of the guards.

"Sten Legacy…and guests. We come to make inquiries."

The guards could only gasp and sputter. "S-Sten L-Legacy? _Tha'_ Sten Legacy? Captain! Tha' Captain has returned! Open tha' gates! Open it, ye pukes, ye scoundrels! Hurry, hurry—tha' Captain has returned!"

The party was admitted with due fanfare. Even before they could set their cloaks on a peg, servants came and pampered them as if they were nobility. Baths were drawn, old clothes and backpacks taken to the finest rooms, and dinner of the finest meats and wines prepared just waiting to be supped. Ryu, Yua, and Katt, unaccustomed to such treatment, were flummoxed. Nina, who had spent her earliest years under such accommodations, was more graceful in accepting the rich conduct.

But Sten just moved through the motions like a man without a mind.

The party was conducted to a grand banquet hall, where servants had already laid an impressive meal for them. Just as they took to their seats, three Highlanders in brilliant garb entered and joined them. One was a female, her dress of silk strangely at odds with the ornamental weapons at her belt. She curtsied and sat at the head. Another female, armed to the nines in steel and plate, sat her right. The third, a male, wore a breastplate bearing the ribbons of a captain. He sat to the left.

"Welcome, noble travelers," said the first female in eloquent tones bespeaking of her noble birth, "I am the lady of this castle, Princess Herfarann. I hope we can all becomes friends." Though she spoke to the assembled, her eyes were on Sten alone; the old soldier pointedly ignored this.

"On behalf of the princess and all of Highfort," said the other female in stiff, formal tones, "I, Shupkay, high general of her majesty's forces, welcome you to our table."

The male said nothing, but he, too, kept his eye on Sten.

Nina was the first of the party to speak, being the most experienced in matters of court. "To what do we owe this honor, princess?"

Herfarann smiled. "You return to us our greatest warrior, Stenanil Legacy, who disappeared ten years ago after the battle of Goonheim. He was presumed dead, but I—that is, we—never stopped believing that he yet lived." The stumble was not lost on the others. The princess acted as if it never happened. "A meal and accommodations are the least we can do for those who have done this great service to our people. We are in your debt, noble ones. Might we know your names, that we will remember them?"

"I am Nina of Windia," she replied, turning a hand to each companion in turn. "This is Katt Chuan of Corsair and Yua and Ryu Bateson of Gate."

Herfarann looked at the siblings with curiosity. It was unbecoming of one of her breeding to stare, but it simply could not be helped, for Ryu's metamorphosis had that effect on people. "You are…brother and sister? You do not look at all alike," she said lightly, hoping to broach the matter gently.

"My appearance," Ryu said quietly, "is indirectly related to why we have come here."

Herfarann only smiled. "Ah, but business can wait, my new friend. Come, let us partake of this repast and make merry." She raised her goblet high. "To new friends, and especially to old ones." She vigorously toasted, as did the others by standards of etiquette, but Sten did not so much as touch his drink or his food the entire dinner.

* * *

Much later, after the adventurers had retired to their private guestrooms, Sten sat on the desk that was once his. It was in this office that he held the coveted rank of Captain Commander. Now, he saw that the mantle had been changed, the desk replaced, the name replaced. No longer did Stenanil Legacy hold this high honor. It was another's name now.

"At least he kept the chair," Sten murmured, rubbing the armrests affectionately.

"It's a comfortable chair, hard to find in these dark days," replied a voice from behind.

Sten allowed a thin, ironic smile to cross his weathered visage. "You were the only one who could sneak up behind me, Turvoe. So, ten years—so short a phrase, but so long to live through."

Turvoe, the silent male from the dinner, stalked around Sten like a tiger preparing to maul its prey. "Why'd you come back, Sten? You abandoned your duties and left us all behind. Why return now? For a free meal?" he spat derisively.

"Believe me, if I could have avoided it, I would have," Sten said honestly. "The last thing I want is to be recognized as a hero for my cowardice."

Turvoe was furious at this admission. "How could you betray your own, betray your code? 'Serve the crown,' you told me once! You abandoned it!"

"I couldn't take it, Turvoe!" the soldier cried. "Men died because of me and a mistake I made. Friends perished, their families left bereft and alone of the father who'd protect and comfort them. Wives left to work their hands raw because they had to do the job of two parents. Children cried because of my mistake."

Turvoe grabbed him by the collar and shouted, "You knew this from the beginning, Legacy! All commanders know this! Why did you break down? Why'd you leave? No one would have blamed you, you know that—there was no reason at all to disappear, you fool."

The captain threw Sten against the wall angrily. "We needed you after Goonheim," he said in softer tones. "That war cost us dearly, despite a victory. Our coffers were depleted, our forces sundered. It was four whole seasons before we had anything close to a standing army again. Herfarann had to make some terrible sacrifices to keep Highfort together. Did you know she married the Earl of Lowfort?"

Sten sighed sadly. "Did she now?"

"It was to secure a line of funds during those hard, learn years after you left. She bore him an heir, and her bore her a stipend of two millions in gold nuggets every season—you know how rich the mines of Lowfort are."

Sten rubbed at his scar. "Yes. I do. It was…a wise decision."

"Is that all you can say?" Turvoe asked. "You cared for her once—you helped her mother raise her, after the king died. Rumors said that you even pledged to wed her when she came of age, even though you were old enough to be her father."

"I pledged nothing," said Sten. "It was the other way around—a childish, romantic dream of hers. One that I shared, admittedly."

"Well, you can't have it now," the captain said bitingly.

"You make it sound like this is all my fault. What could I have done? How would have one soldier's presence made any difference, Turvoe?"

The captain spun on him, his anger heating up once more. "Because you're Stenanil Legacy—that alone is reason enough! You are a hero, a leader, a figure that we can all believe in. Never beaten, never defeated, never had victory escaped your grasp. Any war we fought in, no matter the odds, we won because of you. We needed you to lead us to victory again, to win wars, to earn the money we need to live."

Turvoe pointed an accusatory finger at him. "But you left. And we paid for it." He opened the door and made ready to leave. "Enjoy your stay, _hero_. When you're finished here, don't forget to lock the door."


	29. Chapter 29

Author's Note: Apologies for the late update. I am REALLY not happy with this chapter. I just wanted to get it done and over with. It was unusually hard to write this time around. I really wanted to give Sten a kick ass death scene, but it just didn't happen. Much sadness, since I was basically prepping the previous Sten sequences for this moment.

For those of you who are wondering just when this bloody thing will end, here's the breakdown of my outline: Highfort Finale (this chapter), return to Windia (1-2 chapters), battle at St. Eva Church (1-2, possibly 3, chapters), and finally endgame (1-2 chapters, plus epilogue).

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Enemy Lines**

"That went well," Yua said cheerfully, stepping out of Herfarann's throne room with her brother, Nina, and Katt beside her. "At least she agreed to let us explore the castle."

"Being friends with a war hero seems to have its perks," Ryu noted. "I'm surprised that she even believed out story."

"It _is_ a fanciful tale," said Nina, "and one that few minstrels could match. To say we met Yggdrasil, and he told us to go to the Highlander city in order to learn the truth of God? It makes us sound like a troupe of fanatics or pilgrims, rather than…." She trailed off uncomfortably.

"Rather than a bunch of people out to tear God apart," Katt supplied wryly. She shrugged, as if dumping all that worry away. "Look, Yggdrasil told Ryu that the Church of Saint Eva is definitely connected to the demons and the evil goddess, Myria, who's been known to try to destroy the world before. I don't see how we're doing _anything_ that should make you worry, Nina." The Woren then gestured to Ryu's scaled hide. "Besides, now Ryu here's a monster of a fighter! Literally! Er, no offense, Ryu," she added with a wide grin.

The dragonman shook his head. "None taken. With all that has transpired recently, I cannot help but feel that _this_," he flexed his talons for emphasis, "is all part of some great master plan. None of us could defeat the more powerful demons…until I started changing. Yes, I think this is what the Destined Child was born to do."

Yua looked at him, her worry abating not in the slightest. Since that strange and fateful meeting with the Tree of Wisdom, Ryu had…changed. He had always been stern, serious, but gentle inside. Now, though, he was eager—too eager—and purposeful. It was a good change, but it terrified Yua nonetheless—because he was using destiny as a motivation and an excuse…even though he had always been a man who forged his own path. _That_ did not sit well with the younger Bateson sibling. Not at all.

Ryu continued, breaking Yua's line of thinking, "We should begin our investigations immediately. Nina, Yua, the two of you should go to the royal libraries and research Highfort's history, particularly around the time of Myria's first coming. Katt, you and I will go and question the locals. Perhaps they've met some envoys from the church, trying to make converts. At any rate, let's try to find some connection between Eva and Highfort."

They paired off and went their separate ways. Yua could not help but look back at her brother, her brows knitted. "Come along, Yua-chan," Nina said invitingly. The Windian's cheerful call trailed off when she noticed the younger girl's distraction. "Is something wrong?"

Yua came out of her introspection and shook her head, feigning a weak smile. "Nothing, nothing's wrong. C'mon, we've got work to do, Nina-neesan." The Windian looked unconvinced, but she led the girl toward the library without saying anything.

The two spent the next several hours pouring over texts that only the most dedicated Highlander scholar would have remembered. Nina's reasoning for delving into such obscure tomes was that the further back and less well-known a text was, the greater its veracity. Yua did not understand it, but she trusted in Nina's superior education and familiarity with history texts.

Yua had never read so much in her life. Though her father had always encouraged literacy when she was younger, she had ever preferred to learn by doing rather than by reading. While she certainly pulled her own weight, Yua's lids were quite heavy after the third hour of straight research.

Nina, on the other hand, retained her fresh, energetic countenance. Thin spectacles rested on her nose, giving her an aristocratic appearance. "Yua-chan?" the Windian murmured quietly. "Yua-chan, you're drooling, dear."

"Eh? Ah!" the girl sputtered, reclaiming her senses from half-sleep. "S-sorry! I wasn't sleeping, really!" She hurriedly grabbed up a random book and forced herself to burn through the scratchy lines of penmanship.

Nina just chuckled. "If you're tired, then by all means, you should rest."

"No, it's all right," the girl insisted with a blush. "I can still help." Calming down a little from her embarrassment, Yua paged through the book at much more relaxed and normal pace. While she did not fully grasp all the complex ideas on the page, she understood enough to get the gist of it. Unfortunately, this book held nothing of interest to their quest. She set it down with a sigh.

"Nina-neesan…did you find anything?"

The Windian looked up from the scroll in her hands and took her spectacles off. "I'm afraid not. Myria was apparently a private affair, one that did not strike the world as a direct threat—unlike the Dark Dragon Empire that was operating at the same time." She sighed. "People are always more concerned about the things in front of them than the things around them."

"Oh…okay." Yua stood and stretched, getting the blood flowing back into her legs. "Um, I'll go bring back something hot to drink, all right? To keep us awake. Do you want anything?"

Nina grinned pleasantly. "Some tea and honey, actually. Thank you, Yua-chan."

Yua smiled brightly and went to fetch the drink. Not being familiar with the layout of High Castle, she was soon lost in the myriad corridors, in her futile search for the kitchen. She turned a couple of corners, before finding herself completely somewhere else. "Damn it," she grunted, scratching her blue hair. "Where the hell am I, anyway?"

She turned left down a corridor, seemingly at random. But as luck—or perhaps destiny—would have it, she passed by General Shupkay's chambers…and she was speaking loud enough to be heard through the door.

"Yes, I speak the truth, Habaruku. The Dragon is here! The Destined Child is in my grasp!"

Yua stopped, startled by these words. She knelt beside the door, pressing an ear against the wood.

"I will kill him, then. Him and his sister—that way, we can be sure that no Dragon will be able to stop us. Don't worry, with them out of the way, I can access Highfort's weapons systems without any threat."

_Oh my God…a general…Shupkay…is our enemy!_ Yua thought wildly. _Does this mean Princess Herfarann is their ally?_

The implications of her discovery made her fingers tremble. _Oh God…we're in their hands…just being here…oh my God—I have to warn the others. I have to tell Nina-neesan, I have to tell Ryu-niisan. I have to—_

Her thoughts went from panic to absolute terror when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. A frightened yelp escaped her throat and she bolted to her feet, spinning around wildly to face her foe…only to find Sten Legacy looking at her in surprise.

"What do ye think yer doin', lass? Why're ye spyin' on the general?"

Yua's head was swimming. "Sten…oh, oh God, Sten…don't scare me like that!" she barked, but quickly dropping to a whisper, lest Shupkay heard her. Her earlier squeal already set her nerves on fire: had the general heard her that time?

"What're ye up to, Yua?" the Highlander pressed. "What's wrong? Ye look like yer about to keel over."

Then the door opened behind them. Yua went stiff. _Oh, no…_ Somehow, she knew with certainty that Shupkay knew she had been spying.

Suddenly, it felt like the corridor had gotten incredibly cold. "What is the meaning of this?" Shupkay demanded icily.

Sten bowed respectfully to his military superior and made apologies for Yua. "Tha' young one was bein' overly curious, general. I'll make sure this doesn't happen—"

"I can disciplining a child myself, Legacy," Shupkay interrupted, her eyes fastened on Yua alone. The girl felt a shiver crawl up her spine, and she could smell the brimstone and sulfur rolling off the general. "Now, girl…it's time to tell me a little story."

The general's demeanor must have sent a chill through Sten as well, for the old soldier suddenly became defensive, stepping between Yua and Shupkay. "I do not think its one o' yer duties to 'discipline' civilians, general. With all due respect, o' course."

"Is that so, Legacy? You've been gone very long—there's been some changes…in policy."

And, like a nightmare born from the depths of hell, tentacles burst forth from beneath Shupkay's clothing, wrapping around both the girl and the Highlander, dragging them into the general's chamber. The door slammed shut with a strangely-muffled sigh. And then the corridor was bereft, alien, and empty.

* * *

Ryu tried his best to ignore the strange stares he received as he walked through Highfort. It was not unexpected, of course, but it did make him feel…uncomfortable. 

"If you're face gets any harder, it'll turn to stone," Katt said lightly, looking up at him. Ryu had been tall before, but his transformation had put him several inches over seven feet. She barely came to his chest now.

Ryu grinned down at her. "I'll strive to make sure it doesn't. So, where to next?"

The Woren pulled out a map they picked up from a street vendor; markings covered much of it. "Well, we hit all the shops in the marketplace, spoke to the patrons of four bars and three inns, and went to the St. Eva Church twice. We've really done the rounds, haven't we?" She let out a sigh of fatigue. They had been walking all day—the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon of the walls.

"Despite all that, we haven't found anyone who's heard anything amiss," the dragonman murmured thoughtfully. "That means Eva's movements are well-hidden."

"Or the tree was wrong," Katt supplied.

But Ryu shook his head. "No. Yggdrasil wasn't wrong." He sounded very firm, very confident. But he did not explain any further.

Katt looked at him with concern. Like Yua, she noticed the change in him. He had changed drastically, almost as if he were another person. She missed the levelheaded, logical, earthy Ryu. This new, farseeing, direct Ryu was just too different. Being with him made her feel like she was swimming against a strong tide, and her strokes were futile against its pull.

"Let's head back," Ryu said suddenly, interrupting Katt's thought. He gave the bustling people around him a wary look that flashed with a yellow glow. "I'm feeling a bit too much attention."

They returned to the castle to find Nina in the main hall, looking quite perplexed and greatly worried. "What's wrong?" Katt asked, going to her flustered friend.

"It's Yua," the Windian answered, arresting Ryu's attention on the spot. She elaborated, "She went to get us drinks about two hours ago—but she never came back. I asked around, and no one's seen her! Oh, Ryu, Katt, I don't know where she is!" By now, Nina was getting frantic, her concern overwhelming her.

"Let's find Sten," suggested the dragonman, trying to stifle his own worry under an all-too-familiar sense of professionalism. That simple thing reassured Katt more than any godly Dragon power ever could. Ryu continued, "He knows this place like the back of his hand—maybe he'd know where to start looking."

Nina shook her head. "No one's seen Sten either."

Ryu's concern increased tenfold. _Sten_ missing? He was a war hero that everyone in Highfort worshipped—they would surely have taken account of his passing. Something was up, and Ryu could feel it in his bones. Something bad. "Let's go through the castle one room at a time," he said. When Nina was about to say something else, he cut in, "I'd imagine you'd already done that, but let's go through it once more, all right? Maybe Yua and Sten went to one of the rooms you've already gone through."

"All right," said Nina, calming down now that someone was in charge. "Let's go to the library first, then. We can work our way from there."

The trio passed through the library, then the kitchens, then the guestrooms, giving quick, cursory examinations through them all. But there was no sigh of either Yua or Sten. It was only when they passed through the officers' halls that Ryu started to see the first evidence of their missing friends.

Or rather, it was where he started to _smell_ the first bit of evidence.

"Sulfur," he said darkly. The women turned at him in surprise and dawning understanding. Ryu's transformed self had enhanced physical senses, including an animal-keen sense of smell…and it smelled a demon. He turned to Katt and Nina. "Where is Kilgore's magic hood?"

Katt produced the item from her pack. "It won't fit you now, though," she said, indicating the horns on Ryu's forehead. "I'll wear it instead." She slipped the cloth over her face and saw the world through new lenses. In the grayscale, everything looked suffused and plain…but she saw something beyond the grayness: a sharpness, a clear and colorful something. "It's behind General Shupkay's quarters," Katt said flatly. She turned to the dragonman. "Ryu…if Shupkay is a demon…."

Ryu's jaw tightened. "We've handled demons in political positions before, Katt. We should inform Princess Harfarann first, but…." His eyes flashed with an angry yellow glow. "But if Shupkay has hurt one hair on Yua's head, I'll tear her apart."

The threat sent an icy shiver down Katt and Nina's spines. They had witnessed his anger, when he slaughtered Barubary after Bow was mortally wounded. But never before had they seen his protectiveness. The sheer intensity of it was enough to demonstrate the lengths he would go to in order to protect Yua. If anyone were to harm his precious sister, God have mercy on their soul.

"Katt, Nina," the dragonman said, "after fighting Trout, Barubary, and Aruhamel, I know I can defeat any demon without trouble—that's what the Dragon power is for. But I don't know if I can do it without collateral damage. Please, I need your help—you have to get Sten and Yua out of harm's way."

Nina touched his arm. "I won't let anything happen to Yua," she said with steel and determination. "Ever."

Katt seconded that. "We'll get them out of there. You just worry about Shupkay."

Thusly fortified, Ryu boldly strode toward the door. Had he been normal, he would have devised a plan. But he was the Destined Child and destroying Eva's servants was what he was born to do. So gone were the tactics, gone was the subtlety and the stealth. With the strength of a hundred mortal men, he tore the door asunder and burst in with all the theatrical fanfare and violence he could muster.

With all the attention drawn to him, it would be easier for Katt and Nina to get their friends out of harm's way.

And so he loudly shouted, "Shupkay! Return my sister to me, demon!" flaring his nostrils and flashing his yellow eyes as he did so.

Beyond the door was the general herself. She snarled at his entrance. Behind her were Sten and Yua, both bound, seemingly victims in an interrogation conducted by Shupkay herself. "And so the Destined Child comes to me," the general said. She reached into her pocket and drew forth a round ball. "But I am no easy meat—I choose my own battles, boy!" She threw the ball to the ground, releasing a cloud of smoke.

When it cleared, Shupkay was gone. But, to Ryu's great relief, Yua and Sten were safe. He quickly cut their bonds with his claws and then drew his sister into a tight hug. "Are you all right?"

Yua nodded into his chest. "Yes. Ryu…she said something about using Highfort's weapons."

The dragonman looked to Sten for elaboration. The Highlander's brows were knitted in a dark expression of dread. "Highfort is actually built on old technological ruins," he explained. "We learned how to repair tha' weapons in tha' ruins, but we never implemented them—if we ever did, tha' other nations would fear us and try to wipe us out because of our power. We keep them in reserve, just in case."

"And if Shupkay gets to them," murmured Katt.

"She'll cause an international crisis," reasoned Nina.

"It's just like Simafort," said Ryu. "They're going to try to control what happens in the world any way they can. Even if it means ruining the lives of an entire country."

"I won't let that happen," Sten said with such cold ferocity that it made even Ryu blink. "This is my home. I may have abandoned it, but I won't let it fall. Ryu, go after Shupkay."

The dragonman nodded. "That was my intent. Nina, Katt, Yua, and I will take care of it. What about you?"

"I…I must speak with Herfarann first," the Highlander said. "I'll tell her about Shupkay. But there's something else that needs to be taken care o' first. As a former war general, I have half o' the override code that can render tha' weapons systems useless…permanently."

"And the other half?" Ryu asked.

"I'll take care o' it," Sten replied. Then the Highlander left without another word.

* * *

"This is madness!" Herfarann said unbelievingly. She turned on Sten, her face livid with outrage. "You dare to slander a general who has proven her worth to me, Sten? I thought more highly of you than this." 

They were in the princess' throne room, alone. At Sten's request, the guards had filed out into the hall so they could talk in privacy. Thus, Sten alone was the victim of her outburst. "Milady, ye must believe me—Shupkay is an enemy. I have been hunting down her kind alongside my comrades fer months now. One o' her kin took me ear, princess! I do not lie."

"Sten, it is too much a fantasy for any sane man to believe," Herfarann said. "Shupkay is loyal to me—she helped restore my kingdom when you left. Damn it, Sten, she's almost another you! I trust her!"

Sten lowered his eyes at being compared with the general. "As ye…trusted me?" he said past a pained lump in his throat.

The princess' soft reply was, "As I trusted you."

"I cannot make ye believe me," he said quietly. "And I have no proof to back me tale. But if ye still trust me, then know this: I will not let anything happen to ye or to Highfort. No matter what—not even if Shupkay does her damnedest, whether ye believe her to be a demon or not."

"Sten…please, you're scaring me with your talk of demons. And the weapons systems! To use them would be madness. Shupkay would not activate them, even if she were so cruel and evil as you claim. She would destroy herself and all of Highfort."

Sten shook his head. "Her life is not her own, Herfarann! To use tha' weapons of Highfort is to turn tha' world against us—that is tha' plan. Chaos, division! If tha' world is broken into squabbling, it is wide open to conquest by a unified and organized force—a simple strategy, one that took centuries, perhaps millennia, in the making if tha' stories I've heard are true."

It was Herfarann's turn to shake her head. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. Conspiracy theories, Sten! Have you gone mad?"

"I'm wondering the same thing," Turvo said, strutting in from a side door. "You asked me to meet you here, Sten. You said you wanted my half of my deactivation code."

Sten nodded. "Did ye overhear what I said?" Turvo nodded. "Then will ye give me yer code?"

His peer just laughed derisively. "Shupkay a demon? The princess was justified in questioning your sanity, Sten. You must be mad to see demons and shadows everywhere. I don't particularly like Shupkay, but she's no demon."

Sten's patience was running thin. He punched his hand, issuing a loud, meaty smack. "Damn it! I'm telling ye tha' truth! Please, let me have tha' deactivation code! If we don't stop tha' weapons, then Shupkay will ruin us all. Please, believe me…please…." His hands dropped to his sides and he suddenly looked older, more tired. Indeed, his strength seemed to wane with each second.

Finally, he looked up with a renewed light in his exhausted eyes. "Fine then. If I can't count on yer help, then I'll work without it."

He moved for the doors, but Turvo stopped him. "I don't like the vibes I'm getting, Sten," Turvo said. "I'm not going to let you do some damn fool thing."

"Get out o' me way, Turvo."

"Please, Sten, just calm down," urged Herfarann. "Please, you're scaring me. How can you believe in these strange, fanciful things? You were always so levelheaded…."

To hear her question his sanity was more painful to Sten than any sword wound. But he ignored it like he would any other pain. His eyes fastened on Turvo. "I said get out o' me way." With the speed of a veteran fighter, Sten slammed the heel of his hand into his old comrade's face, right between the eyes. Turvo staggered to the side and Sten burst through, running all-out.

Turvo called for the guards, who moved to stop him, but Sten bashed his way through with kicks and punches. _Nothing will be tha' same between any o' us after this,_ he knew with a sad lump in his heart, _but I will protect me home…no matter what. I will protect…I will protect her. Even if she comes to distrust and hate me._

His wild run took him to a pulley elevator, one of many in Highfort. He entered it and threw the safety clasps, sending him down at great speed. With surprising agility, he leaped off the machine just as it passed a certain, unnumbered, and uncharted floor, one known only to a select few. This corridor he followed to an iron-cast chamber whose walls were lined in switches and levers.

The weapons control room, a section centuries old, restored for the purpose of warfare…but never once used because of fear of warfare.

_Turvo and Herfarann will suspect that I'd come here,_ Sten thought. _I have to work quickly._

He was planning on breaking the machine himself, but then felt a sudden pain shoot up his back. He fell to one knee, looking up to see Shupkay looming over him. "You were unwise to lower your defenses, old man," the demon said, her eyes glowing a hateful red. "I won't let anyone get in the way of God's plan."

"And I won't let anyone hurt tha' people of Highfort," Sten retorted.

"Such defiance and strength," the demon said with mild amusement. "Herfarann spoke highly of it. Indeed, one would think she still held feelings for you. Surprised I know that? She was quite vocal to me about her love for you—I _am_ her trusted confidante, after all." She said that last as a barb to Sten. And it worked; the Highlander virtually growled with fury.

"Stay away from her," he said, though the words were lame and hollow to his own ears. Shupkay had, after all, won a place in Herfarann's circle of friends through her thick deceptions.

"What were planning to do, Legacy?" the demon demanded with hauteur. "Destroy the weapons? There are many ways to activate these old machines—destroying the control room would do nothing that I could not have repaired."

_Wait…if she's here…where's Ryu?_ Sten grew worried at the thought. "Ye speak so confidently," he said, hoping to probe the demon. "Ye won't be so confident when tha' Destined Child shows up."

"That fool won't be able to stop me," Shupkay said with a laugh. "He's lost in the maze of your castle!"

_Then at least he's alive. Doesn't do me any good, though._ Then he saw his salvation. Herfarann and Turvo were in the doorway; they had followed him, but arrived only after Shupkay. And from the surprised looks on their faces, they had heard more than enough.

Shupkay, oblivious, waved a hand through the air; her fingernails grew as long and hard as short swords. "I'm tired of bantering with an old timer like you. I think I'll kill you now and move on with my plans."

And then the demon was sent hurling beyond Sten's head and into a wall, propelled by Turvo's powerful flying kick. "I don't think so, traitor," the yellow-furred Highlander growled. He helped Sten up. "Looks like we owe you an apology."

"Save it Turvo, and keep on yer toes!" Sten warned, drawing his knives. "Herfarann! Stay back. Things are going to get ugly."

Sure enough, when Shupkay regained her footing, she had begun to change. Gone was the Highlander's face and form; in its stead was a horrible, twisted beast of shadow and darkness. "You've made a grievous mistake," the demon said in nightmarish tones. Its shadow then ran across the ground, a black, ethereal tentacle, that shot forth with the sharpness of a spear. Sten and Turvo dodged it by a hair.

"Damn, its quick," Turvo said, assuming a defensive stance.

"Hurry up and get here Ryu," Sten muttered. Aloud, he said to Turvo, "Move to flank! Hit from both sides!" The two veterans ran parallel to one another and then jumped to the walls. From there, they propelled themselves forward, moving to strike the demon at oblique angles. But Shupkay simply slid backwards like a snake, avoiding their coordinated attack.

Sten followed up with several quick slashes, none of which struck home; Turvo tried to drive his fist into Shupkay's back, but the demon twisted around at unnatural angles, a true shadow that could not be hit.

A shadowy tentacle whipped across, knocking them both down.

"Damn it," Sten grunted. "How are we supposed to hit her?"

"It's like trying to cut the air," Turvo agreed.

Then another shadowy tentacle speared upwards, making for Turvo's heart. "Look out!" Sten cried, pushing his comrade out of the way…just as the spear pierced his heart. Sten let out a strangled gasp.

"STEN!" Turvo cried. But his shout was overtaken by Herfarann's: "NO!"

But Sten Legacy was a fighter. Even with his dying breath he fought. He felt the solidity of the tentacle impaled in his chest and sought to take advantage of it. He rammed his knives into the appendage, finally striking meat. Shupkay let out a cry. "She's physical!" the dying Sten shouted. "Turvo! Kill her!"

Turvo moved on instinct born from a lifetime of soldiery. He rushed forward in a strong charge, his hand poised to strike. The killing blow tore Shupkay's head from the shoulders.

Just then, Ryu, Nina, Katt, and Yua burst in, having finally found Shupkay's trail…only to see the blood of another friend spilling onto the ground.

Herfarann went to Sten's side, resting his head on her lap, ignorant of the life fluids soaking into her dress. "No, oh, God, no," she murmured, resting her cheek against a forehead that had gone perfectly still.

Yua burst into tears, burying her face in Nina's shoulder. The Windian wrapped her wings around them both. Katt gripped Ryu's arm, who turned away as the tears slid down his cheeks.

Victory was won…but at yet another heavy price.

* * *

The time for mourning had come and gone. Burial wreaths had been passed to the earth, and a corpse went with them. Herfarann stood alone at the highest tower of High Castle, watching the strange companions ride out across the drawbridge toward their next destination. They said they were going to end the killings and the deaths…they were going to take the fight to the heart of evil itself: Saint Eva's Church on its lonely, distant island. 

"I hope they take victory," she whispered into the wind. "Because their victory means Sten's avenging."

"It is not proper for you to speak of revenge like that," said Turvo, walking up the stairs to join her. "Sten…wouldn't have wanted his beloved to say such things."

Herfarann closed her eyes sadly. "I never even got to talk to him. I never…I never got the chance to tell him that I still loved him."

Turvo rested a hand on her shoulder. "He already knew. That's why he was willing to defy you to defeat Shupkay. I realize now that he was trying to protect you…protect all of us."

"It isn't fair, Turvo. He always walked away from a fight. He never lost…."

Turvo looked away, his expression pained. He knew that Sten's victories only led to pain. It was why he left—told from that old soldier's own mouth. But he doubted that Herfarann wanted to hear that death was a blessing to Stenanil Legacy.

Herfarann stared out into the windswept horizon and let the tears fall.


	30. Chapter 30

**It's Another Omake! W00T!11 (We're still on the pathway to many abilities some consider to be sploitz!)**

Windu: "You can hang with us, but we still think you're a n00b."

Palpatine: "Go D/L those hacks I showed you, and you will be teh r0xx0rz!"

Obi-Wan: "Stop TK'ing, you fag!11"

Yoda: "A dirty haxx0r, that Anakin punk is."

All: _"It'5 0m4k3 Fun-Fun Tim3, j00 h4xx0r!"_

Author's Note: Yeah, that intro's an allusion to a very, very amusing fan-trailer for Star Wars 3. All you Star Wars geeks will know _exactly_ which one I'm talking about. )

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….

BREATH OF FIRE: EPISODE WOSSNAME

The Phantom Author

(Ryu enters the room)

Ryu: (clears throat) Today we'll be deviating from the story to explain the long-drawn question: where the hell did Razilin go for the past three weeks? So now, without further ado, the Capcom Omake Theatre Company presents: "A Day in the Life of Raz."

_Hour 1: Awakening_

Razilin: (yawns) It is 6:00. I always, without fail, wake up at 6:00. (returns to bed for an hour)

_Hour 2: Reawakening_

Razilin: (yawns) Time to get up. I go check homac. a forum in which I am a global moderator, which means I have l33t power overwhelming. Gack! WTF? More spammers! Die! (unleashes mini Raz-bots to destroy the vile annoying 13-year-old n00bs)

_Hour 3: Dishes and breakfast_

Razilin: (whistling "Whistle While You Work") Doing last night's dishes, cooking a pot of rice, and scrambling eggs. Yum.

_Hour 4: Genetics homework and John Milton_

Razilin: Wow, genetics is boring as all hell. But hey, you can't beat Milton's _Paradise Lost_. Heh, heh—Moloch's title involves him being covered in blood and the tears of parents. That's so badass. I love you, John Milton.

_Hour 5: Genetics with G. Zainelli_

Razilin: Well, my new genetics professor _looks_ hot, but she also looks like jailbait—but she's at least 30 years old. It's baffling!

_Hour 6: Lunch time_

Razilin: Mmm. Homemade deli sandwich.

_Hour 7: Cultural Anthropology with R. Cook_

Razilin: If I put Professor Cook into a Jedi robe and gave him a lightsaber, he'd _so_ look like Obi-Wan Kenobi. It's gotta be that beard.

_Hour 8: Invertebrate Biology with J. Savitz_

Razilin: You know what? I'll bet you can eat half the shit that we see in class…

_Hour 9, 10, and 11: Tutoring_

Razilin: Ho hum. Here I am, working at the tutoring center, teaching sophomores the finer points of organic chemistry. Oh, great, here comes a freshman asking about general biology or general chemistry. Idiots, go open the freakin' book for once, you lazy bums.

_Hour 12: The Train Ride_

Razilin: I love and hate public transportation. It gets me where I need to go, but it's so damn shady. Is that a drug deal I see in the next car over?

_Hour 13, 14, and 15: Hospital Shift_

Razilin: I run around a 9-story hospital, plus basement, taking care of infants, toddlers, pre-adolescents, and teenagers. I make toys, fix trachea tubes, run around at the behest of parents and nurses, and generally look like a saint. I do this two or three times a week because we're currently understaffed. Yay double/triple shift.

_Hour 16: The Train Ride Redux_

Razilin: God damn it, the train's stuck again. Well, well, looks like someone committed suicide on the train tracks…AGAIN! Fucker, you could at LEAST do it on Sunday. Then you'll not only affront God because of a mortal sin, but you'll blaspheme his day as well! AND no one else is riding the damn train in the middle of a workday! Seriously, if you live in a big city, you eventually see enough suicides, killings, and robberies that you just take it as a normal part of the day. Go cynicism.

_Hour 17: More Homework_

Razilin: But I don't want to read about the history of feminism or nationalism. I want to read about the history of capitalism! Because capitalism is amazing, just like Adams and the invisible hand! No, I don't want to read about polychaetes. I eat polychaetes. I don't want to dissect them anymore! Ooo, more Milton. Let me make love to your epic poetic lines.

_Hour 18: Cosplay_

Razilin: (huffing and puffing) Need…to…finish…Sol Badguy and Jedi Master…costumes…Halloween…in…eleven days!

_Hour 19: Blissful, blissful sleep…._

Razilin: SNORE!

(Ryu reenters the room)

Ryu: And what is missing here? That's right: writing the fanfic. Why do we not see this? NO TIME! But don't worry, Razilin promises that he will finish it. He ALWAYS finishes what he starts, whether he likes it or not. You just might need to wait a little longer. Expect other delays later. Poor Raz has to deal with MCATs sooner than he thinks. He's got three years of college academics to read up on before April. I'd like to see YOU do it.


	31. Chapter 31

Author's Note: It's been a few months since I last updated, but now finals are just about over, so I can finally finish this story and move on to other projects. With any luck, I can compartmentalize the last few segments of the game into three chapters!

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Last Flight**

The loss of Sten Legacy was a blow that continued to ache even after a week of mourning. They had all lost a dear friend that day in Highfort, and they took the pain in their own way. Yua quietly cried, Katt took to punching rocks, trees, or anything else that she could vent her anger on, while Nina simply prayed that the tired old soldier had found some measure of peace in death.

Ryu, however, was more active in the days since Sten's demise. "This killing and sorrow ends now," he said after leaving Highfort, "Myria and Saint Eva have gone far enough. We draw the line here—they go no farther." He spoke with such command, such determination, that none of his friends even questioned the energy and purpose he displayed thereafter.

His dedication was frightening, really. After the transformation, Ryu had seemed guided by fate and simply let the currents of destiny carry him forward. But Sten was like the catalyst that reminded him that fate sometimes needed a firm hand to yank it around. Now he planned. The old logical, earthy Ryu had come back with a vengeance.

They knew that the Church of Saint Eva lay on an island far, far to the southeast. Ships and transport were heavily regulated, meaning that obtaining direct passage to the island would be next to impossible. Conventional flight would likewise be physically unwise—Nina, Yua, and Ryu could only fly so far before their wings would grow exhausted.

Which is why they have returned to Windia. "There is a legend," Nina was saying as the group crossed the vast Windian Bridge once again, "of how our people could once turn into Great Birds that could fly anywhere in the world. Over time, this power has dwindled, and now only a magical device will allow a Windian to take the shape of the Great Bird." Nina hoped that she hid her perturbation well.

She probably did not. "Are you all right?" Ryu asked in concern. There had been a subtle undertone to the Windian's voice.

"I'm fine," Nina replied stiffly.

"Is it because of your parents?" he asked, jumping to the logical conclusion.

Nina nodded slowly, hoping that this would defer his worry. "Yes…that's it. I don't think I'm ready yet to face them…but we have to press on, right?"

Ryu gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. Yua took her hand. "It'll be okay, Nina-neesan."

_No, it won't_, the Windian thought glumly. _But with any luck, this will be the last sacrifice anyone will have to make._

Suddenly, Katt slapped her on the back. "Buck up, Nina! If anyone's got a bad thing to say about your wings, I'll beat 'em into the dirt! Ha!"

Nina smiled at the Woren's enthusiasm. "Let's not cause another international debacle, Katt. Anyway, thank you all for your support. Come, the gate lies before us."

The four travelers passed through the guarded portcullis with no resistance—surprising, considering how Nina's black wings were regarded in this region. Their hopes for a quiet trip through Windia were quickly dashed when a troupe of castle guards arrived, bristling with armor and weapons. "Halt," they said, "and go no farther. You are the adventurers traveling with Nina Windia—you will come with us."

"We have done nothing wrong," Ryu said coldly, crossing his massive scaled arms across his broad chest. It gained the desired effect; most of the troopers shuffled nervously on booted feet.

But the guard captain was adamant. "This is a royal order, from the crown itself. Come with us."

That got the friends' attention. They looked at each other, immensely curious. The king and queen wanted to meet with them? Personally? Nina looked at the guard in the eye and said, "We will come quietly—but as guests, not prisoners."

"The Royal Highnesses specifically said that you were to be treated with the utmost cordiality," the captain replied, which only furthered the friends' surprise.

Later, when they finally arrived at the palace, they were treated to a quiet repast of relaxing wine and pastries, which settled their nerves some. Nina, however, was at a loss. This was not how she expected her homecoming to play out. She expected ridicule or warding, not welcome and cookies. Her edginess must have shown through her normally composed exterior, for Yua gently rubbed her forearm.

Nina touched her hand with a smile, silently telling her that she was all right. To prove the point, she delicately nibbled at a tart to pass the time. With all of the strange happenings lately, she wondered what the meeting with her parents would be like.

She was about to find out, for the regal rulers of Windia entered, resplendent in silks that complemented the pristine whiteness of their wings. Nina felt a tumult of emotions well in her heart at the sight. Resentment for being outcast because of her midnight feathers. Joy at seeing her parents once more. Sadness for being away for so long. Then happiness returned, for she saw her sister, Mina, walk in behind the king and queen.

Mina looked like she wanted to rush into Nina's arms then and there, with only propriety and her parents' hardened visages barring her way. The older Windian sister felt the same. What were those too-regal, too-stiff faces waiting for?

Suddenly, the tense silence was broken by a quiet, motherly command. "Mina, go to your sister."

Even before Nina could get around being acknowledged as blood-kin, she felt Mina's light weight barrel into her midriff. She wrapped her arms around her sister's long tresses, petted her soft wings, and held her close. "Welcome back, Nina," Mina murmured.

Nina looked up and saw Ryu, Yua, and Katt's smiles; she smiled back. Then she turned to regard her parents with wonder. "Why?" she asked simply, that one word engulfing all her questions and emotions without doing them justice.

"Yes, why?" Katt asked. "You didn't give her the most parental welcome last time we visited," she added bitterly.

"All in good time," said the king. "Is it so hard to believe that we want our daughter back?"

"It is," Nina said quietly, extricating herself from Mina's embrace, but leaving their hands fiercely clasped. "All this time you've neglected me, left me in boarding schools, kept me away. I know it's because of my wings and the curse that's supposed to befall Windia…so why break out of the habit now?" With each word, she grew louder and angrier, years of buried pain finally reaching the surface.

With each word, the king and queen winced as if stabbed by a knife. "It's true that we were told that a calamity would come when a member of the royal family was born with black wings," said the queen. "We didn't want to see you hurt by mobs, so we sent you away."

"So why accept her now?" Ryu pressed with no small amount of anger himself. Nina was not one to surrender to her emotions; it made his blood boil to know that she had been suppressing so much agony.

"We've been receiving reports of all you four have done over the past few months," the king answered. "You've brought nothing but good into this world. I do not know who keeps sending these monsters, but you've stopped them time and again." He walked up to Nina and rested hands on her shoulders. "You've done so much, Nina. Everything you've done has brought pride into our hearts."

"We were wrong, Nina," the queen said quietly. "We shouldn't have run away from the problem. We should have tried to help you, as you've helped so many. We were wrong, and every day since you left us, we have regretted our decisions. Forgive us."

These words took Nina's breath away, but tears welled in her eyes. Sobbing, the salty liquid coursed down her cheeks. "Mother, Father," she murmured, saying the words with the care of someone who had never spoken them in their life. She broke free of Mina's grip and threw herself into her parents' arms, receiving a crushing embrace in return.

* * *

Yua found her brother out on the balcony, staring into the night sky. She shivered. "Aren't you cold, Ryu-niisan?" 

He shook his head. "This body doesn't feel heat or cold," he said simply.

"Oh, really," she dryly replied, hopping onto the railing and kicking her feet over the edge. "Well, for us lesser mortals, we like to stay warm."

He ignored her sarcasm. "Is Nina still with her family?"

"Yup. They've got lots to catch up on. Don't know where Mina or Katt are, though."

"I'm glad she's back with them," he said with a hint of sadness that Yua did not miss.

"What's wrong, big brother?"

He was silent for a long moment, but finally yielded. "I was thinking of all the people we've met in our travels. And all the people who ended up dying. I don't want you, Katt, or Nina to come with me when I go to Saint Eva's Church, Yua."

The girl balked, almost falling off the railing. "Like hell we aren't!"

"Please, Yua—I mean it. Once we have the power of the Great Bird, I want to be the only one who stages the attack on Eva and Myria. Bow and Sten are already dead because I couldn't protect them. I don't want the rest of you to get hurt, too."

"It's not up to you to make that decision!" she countered loudly. "We've put too much on the line already.

We have just as much right to seeing this through as you do. So you don't get a choice, Ryu Bateson. We're coming with you."

The dragonman was not convinced, but he wisely kept any more of his opinions to himself.

* * *

Those few hours with her family were the best in Nina's life. For years, she harbored a seemingly hopeless dream, where she could talk with her parents like a normal daughter, where the color of her wings did not bring an eerie pall over their talk. Now, that hope was realized. 

Thus, it saddened her to have to come to business. She came to Windia for a reason, and no matter how pleasantly surprised she was at her welcome, that reason needed to be addressed.

"The mark of the wing," the king murmured quietly, his shoulders limp and sagging.

"You can't…" the queen said, "you just came back to us…."

Nina wiped her eyes and nodded. "I know. That's what makes this even harder. I know what the sacrifice is; I know what's required. But Saint Eva is evil, and the only way to stop this madness is to go to the heart of darkness itself. For that, we'll need the mark of the wing."

After some silence, the queen asked, "Do…do your friends know?"

Nina shook her head. "It's best that they don't. Ryu especially. He'd stop me, even though he's the one who wants to destroy Eva the most."

"That is because he loves you, isn't it?" the queen noted. "It is very obvious to those who have been in love. Which is even more reason why you should reconsider, Nina! To lose yourself as the Great Bird…to never live as a human again…."

"…Is something I choose to do," Nina said adamantly. "Too many have suffered because we couldn't do what needed to be done. If I can do what needs to be done, then I will."

Her chin met her chest. "Please," she said quietly. "It hurts enough as it is. Please don't make it harder. In a way, it would have been easier if you still…."

"Don't finish that," the king said. "We love you, Nina. Now and forever." He reached over and drew his daughter into a tight hug, kissing her forehead. "My brave girl…we love you." Then he let his arms fall and unclasped a medallion around his throat. Upon with was a silver angel's wing. This he handed to her. "The mark of the wing," he said simply, pushing away a sob.

Nina wrapped her fingers around the cold metal. It seemed heavier than it looked, though that could have simply been her spirit. "Father, Mother…I'm sorry—Huh?"

Suddenly, thin hands snatched the medallion from her grasp. A flash of silk and white wings darted past toward the stairs.

"Mina!" Nina cried. "Damn it! She must have been eavesdropping! Mina, wait!" The Windian rushed to catch up, half-flying, half-running. _Oh, God! Mina, Mina, Mina! Don't, you stupid girl!_

* * *

"Mina! Mina!" Ryu heard Nina shout. 

"What the hell?" he wondered. He grabbed Yua by the arm. "Let's go!" he said. With a powerful burst of his wings, the Bateson siblings flew from the balcony toward Nina's cries. They perched upon the railing of Windia Castle's tallest spire. They caught the glinting of moonlight upon midnight wings.

"Nina, over here!" Ryu called. Nina flew over to them. "What's going on?" he asked, seeing her flustered countenance.

"It's Mina!" she explained hurriedly. "She's going to do something incredibly stupid!" The Windian rushed past them into the spire.

"What? What?" Yua asked, following close behind.

"It's the Great Bird…I didn't tell you this before…to become the Great Bird, we must permanently transform into one."

Ryu balked. "You were going to do that? Nina, how could you!"

She looked away from him. "Please, Ryu, not now. I thought it best that I make the sacrifice…but Mina overheard."

He nodded in sudden understanding. "And she's going to take your place. We have to stop her!"

They arrived at a pair of massive iron doors, sealed by lock and magic. Beyond were the sounds of sorcery, crackling and humming with a life all its own. Nina pounded her small fists against the unyielding metal. "MINA! MINA!"

Ryu gently took her aside and cracked his massive knuckles. "Let me," he said, slamming his great fist into the iron. He left a dent, but even his claws proved unable to tear the doors apart.

"MINA!" Nina kept on shouting. "Come out of there now, Mina! Please! You don't need to do this!"

"And neither do you, sister," came Mina's soft voice. She sounded so serene, in stark contrast to Nina's frantic wails. "All my life, I've looked up to you. All my life, I wanted to do something to help you. You were always so sad when I came to visit. Now I can do something. Please, Nina. Let me help."

Ryu managed to tear a long, wide gash through the door. A bright white light spilled out of it. There was a moan…and then silence and darkness.

"MINAAAA!"

* * *

The friends stood atop the highest spire of Windia Castle with the Great Bird. The king and queen had come to see them off. 

They did not say much. There was not much to say.

The Great Bird nuzzled its beak against Nina's back; she fondly stroked it, though her smile was sad indeed.

Ryu mounted first, pulling Yua and Katt upon the majestic creature's long neck. The sight brought tears to the Windian's eyes, parent and sibling alike.

The king and queen drew their sole remaining daughter into a final embrace. "Mina would have wanted you to live happily," the king murmured.

"I wanted the same for her," Nina replied. "But that's not going to happen, is it? The curse…was real…after all."

"We thought it meant the end of Windia," the queen said. "We never expected the catastrophe to be like this."

"And in its own way, this is even worse than seeing Windia in flames," Nina said bitterly. She turned away, and mounted the Great Bird alongside her friends.

In silence, they left.


	32. Chapter 32

Author's Note: I didn't like Ray's sudden turn of heart in the game. We're keeping him a bad guy. One more chapter left.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Storm at the Gates**

The journey south was silent indeed, for the comrades held their own trepidation of what was to come. Their long quest, their many sorrows, their sacrifices…all of it was coming to a head, now. They could all feel it. The Great Bird drove on through the skies, regal and majestic, but its confidence was not shared with its riders. Nina, forlorn and saddened, absently stroked the Great Bird's feathers, thinking of the precious times they had shared in the past. Yua looked at her brother's broad back, wondering what would happen after all was said and done—and all would be said and done, soon. Katt, too, felt apprehension. She sat nearest to Ryu, holding onto his waist her thoughts a jumble of concern for and confidence in him.

But Ryu alone looked onward. His gaze sat on the white walls of Saint Eva's Church, knowing that his destiny lay entwined with its schemes.

He wondered how it all happened. Once, he made his own path. A ranger, a guild mercenary—what had happened to that life? Dead, as Bow was dead. As Sten was dead. Now, by some strange happenstance, Ryu Bateson was an eye in the storm, and that storm's name was destiny. And the only way to reconcile it was to surrender to its torrential winds.

"Everyone knows the plan?" he asked without expecting an answer. The time for running, for chasing, for blindly advancing forward was past. Too many had died because they followed, rather than lead. If they were going to stop the madness, they had to strike first, in a way no one would expect. Ryu only hoped they survived first contact.

Suddenly, all too soon in his mind, the Great Bird brought them over the cathedral. Grabbing Katt under the arms, Ryu gave a shout, "Go!" and leaped. His wings—as Nina's and Yua's—spread out to catch the currents, gliding like a demon's claws toward the towers ahead. The three fliers elicited cries of alarm from the guards patrolling the walls, who all scrambled to ready crossbows and throwing spears. But as soon as they landed, the battle was virtually said and done.

Nina and Katt broke through the crowd with spell and staff, blasting stone and crushing bone. Yua dove in and out of the melee, striking with her small knife. Ryu, however, barreled into the fray, all muscle and scale and claw. With a sweep of his massive arm, he sent two or three armed guards through the air. With a sweep of his tail, he tripped four or five. The soldiers that survived the sudden attack quaked with terror and fled, running past a finely-robed figure with golden-red hair walking up to meet the intruders.

Ryu glared, feeling a familiar well of hatred bubbling up like so much boiling water. "Braddoc." He tasted bile at the name.

Ray flashed that charming grin. "Ryu," he replied evenly. "You've changed, grown stronger, it seems. But you're still quite a thorn in Grand Priest Habaruku's side. You should have left Simafort and Highfort well enough alone."

"So you don't deny you're behind it," Ryu spat back. Behind him, his friends were finishing off the last of the guards that stood in their way, but he was sure they noticed the air of hostility sparking between the two men. Ryu welcomed it; he was itching to claw the priest's too-pretty face.

Ray shrugged. "I do what I am told to do, as do all of Eva's servants. We are bringing a new world order, a better world."

"Your god is a demon, and you know it!"

"This world is a twisted demon already!" Ray retorted sharply. "And Eva comes with power, the power to make sense of the twisted horrors. Ryu," his tone became imploring, brotherly, "join me, cousin. And we are cousins, for we are both Dragons. Join us. This is your last chance."

Ryu did not bother to consider the offer. He raised a talon. "See this? Guess where it's going."

The priest only sighed, as if preparing himself for a long-awaited, but ill-liked, event. He removed his coat, revealing a powerfully-muscled build. "It pains me to have to draw talon on a kindred spirit," he said, eyes suddenly aflame with an eerie red glow, "but for Eva, I will slaughter my own blood for his greater glory."

And suddenly Ray Braddoc was gone. In his place was a dragon.

The cathedral walls collapsed under his great weight and size, stone crumbling, shrieking out in horror and awe at the great beast that sat upon them. Ray's wings, like glorious sin, unfurled black as night. Ryu stared in awe of his own, but quickly snapped out of it when he heard his friends' cries.

"Nina, Katt!" he shouted, looking to them. The Windian was carrying the Woren, both with faces pale with fear. "Get out of here!" he told them, glancing around frantically. Then he saw what he was looking for, hopping from stone to stone, fluttering her bat-like wings. "Yua, fly!" The three women made quick their escape, though they threw him a concern glance.

"Let's go, Ryu!" Katt yelled. But he did not turn to face her. His enemy lay in front of him.

Ray went back on hind legs, staring at the dragonman with disdain. "You will fight me in so puny a form, Destined Child?" he spat. "I'll crush you and tear your to pieces! Show me your real form. Show me what killed Barubary!"

Ryu met him glare for glare. "Fine."

And, as with the priest before him, Ryu Bateson ceased to be. In his place was the Dragon, Barubary's bane. Monstrous, beautiful, it coiled up, serpentine and godlike. Fang and claw sought fang and claw, as the two wyrms slashed and raked one another. Breaths of fire scoured the air, smelted stone, scorched scaly hide. Animal roars issued from fanged maws, shaking the very flagstones of the cathedral.

Above, Nina, Katt, and Yua watched as the terrible battle unfolded before them. "This won't go on much longer," Nina murmured.

"And one of them will die at the end of it," Katt said worriedly.

"Ryu-niisan never loses," Yua said, but lacking the conviction she wanted to convey.

Nina turned to the cathedral. "We can't wait here doing nothing," she said, taking the lead. "The plan was to get inside there and find out what Habaruku's up to."

"I'll fly interference," Yua volunteered, darting through the air, Nina and Katt in tow. The trio landed away from the Dragons' battle, in a courtyard preserved from the wreckage and destruction. They ran into the cathedral, avoiding the screaming priests and guards who ran helter-skelter, trying to escape the carnage outside.

"Where the hell are we going, anyway?" Katt demanded, cursing as a soldier bumped into her; she thwacked the man in the back with her staff. "Damn it. We're not making any progress here."

Yua was having a time of it herself. Smaller and lighter than the others, she was easily pushed around as fleeing staff rushed past her. With a cry, she fell back and hit the wall and gasped when it started to cave in a bit. A rush of air alerted her to a doorway that suddenly sprang open behind her. "Nina-neesan, Katt—look!" Steps led downward, lit by a soft and eerie glow coming from deeper in the stairwell.

"What're the odds of finding _this_?" Katt purred in curiosity.

Nina's brows furrowed in thought. "I sense powerful magic at work," she said quietly. "We should be cautious."

The trio made their way into the depths of the cathedral, following the glow and Nina's instincts. The sounds of flight and fright softened and then disappeared as they proceeded further along. At last, they came to the bottom of the stairs and entered a chamber suffused with a sickly blue-green light. At the heart of the chamber was a man, strapped arms and legs into a strange machine of terrible design.

Nina gasped at the sight. "This machine," she babbled, so complete was her horror. She knew what it was, had studied it in the most ancient tomes. "It's a converter of some sort, but that poor man—I can only guess that it takes his energy and turns it into something truly ghastly."

The man, sickly pale and impossibly thin, murmured, "She is right. It saps my spirit and the souls and prayers of Eva's worshippers and turns it into energy for that cruel demon."

"Who are you?" Katt asked, looking into his tired face. It was clear that he was blind.

But his voice, however soft, was strong and defiant. "I am…I am Ganer Bateson." Yua let out a quiet squeak and both Nina and Katt looked on the man with surprise. "I was a priest of Gate, of Saint Eva. Until his demons came and took me here, where he turned me into his tool. The more prayers he converts, the closer he gets to becoming free. I fight…I have fought all this time…but I fear I can't fight any more."

He coughed, and the women expected blood to froth out. But there was nothing; the man had coughed up all he could long, long ago. "Habaruku," the man murmured, babbling in what could only be madness, "Habaruku went back to Gate, he said. Went back to kill my wife. Went back to let Eva free."

"Otousan!" Yua cried suddenly, her voice cutting through a decade of sadness, suffering, and madness.

Ganer's sightless eyes went to his daughter. "Yua?" he whispered even more quietly, as if testing his voice on a word he had not heard in years. "Yua…you finally came in for your nap."

"Otousan," Yua murmured, stretching a hand to touch his withered face. "Otousan! We'll get you out!"

But he shook his head. "Forget it. I'm already dead, Yua. Habaruku…he's going to kill your mother. She's a Dragon, the Dragon you always slept beside. She guards Eva's prison—Habaruku must not be allowed within the mountain, Yua!" His voice became louder, stronger, more frantic. "He must not be allowed within the mountain!" A fit of coughing stole his fervor. His breath came in ragged gasps and it was clear that death was upon him. "…must not…the mountain…."

"Otousan…."

"R-Ryu…go find…your sister…."

Outside, far from the sorrow within the cathedral, the Dragon ripped out the other's throat with a victorious howl. The slain wyrm slithered madly, thrashing with the last throes of life, crashing onto the ground amidst a shower of blood. The battle was over, the field a ruined and stained mass, pungent with the smell of death. The victor let loose one final roar and surrendered his power.

Ryu Bateson—human once more, not dragon of any kind—fell to his knees, exhausted. The Dragon slept within him, pulsing and wishing release, but he had it under control again. Blue hair danced before his face, slick with his own sweat. But it was _his_ sweat, _his_ self. He looked over to the fallen corpse of Ray Braddoc and shivered. Ray's body was still that of a Dragon.

"Yua—the girls," Ryu said suddenly, looking around for his friends. He saw them emerge from the cathedral, visibly shaken. Yua looked like she was crying. He rushed over to them without hesitation.

"What's going on?" he asked. "What happened? Yua?" His sister ran up to him, threw her arms around his waist, and wept.

* * *

They placed Ganer's body on a board they found, tying him down securely and then setting him off into the sea. It was better than burying him on soil that had tormented him for so long. Ryu and Yua stood on the shore, arm in arm, while Nina and Katt watched the siblings from further back. This was a quiet moment, for only the siblings, and neither woman wanted to intrude on that private pain. 

But even before their mourning was over, the Great Bird came once again. Nina was instantly reminded of her own pain, but swallowed it down as she and Katt mounted the beautiful creature. The Bateson siblings joined quickly, for their journey was soon to be over. The women had learned where to go next, where to finally end it all: Habaruku was heading for Gate.

And so would they.


	33. Chapter 33

**Final Chapter: Endgame**

"Ryu," Yua suddenly asked as the siblings stood alone on the shore, watching the waves that had carried their father crashed and break against the sand, "tell me a story."

Her brother was silent for a moment and then began, in a voice that seemed unaccustomed to tale-weaving, "Once, there were two siblings…." He stopped and cleared his throat. How long had it been since he told a story? Too long, he supposed. His composure regained, he began again, "Once, there were two siblings, devoted to one another, as the moon was devoted to the sun.

"One day, the curious little sister vanished, but the brother never stopped believing that they would meet again. Along the way, the brother made many friends, but none of them could replace his little sister. He even fell in love, twice actually, but still he wanted to see his little sister. So he never stopped hoping, even if he stopped looking.

"Then, many years after they were separated, the brother and sister were finally reunited, and it was a joyous occasion. They laughed, they embraced, they cried, and rejoiced. Their friends were just as happy, and shared in their joy. The brother hoped that they would all remain together, forever, for they were like a family.

"But it was not meant to be. Some friends died and the others mourned. The brother and sister survived it all, the sorrow and the hardship. But always, always, the brother prayed that the little sister could be spared such sadness. He always, always prayed that they, at least, could remain together…."

* * *

Ryu Bateson looked over the three most important women in his life, unable to shake the feeling of destiny swirling around them all. They slept in the saddle, so to speak, straddling the neck of the Great Bird as it brought them ever closer to the Bateson siblings' hometown of Gate.

The young ranger felt strange about that. For so long, Gate seemed more like a dream than a memory. More than once in his life did he wonder if Ganer and his mother, Valarie, were even real, or if he had always been alone. Such questions could drive a man mad, yet even if he could never see his parents again, he never once doubted that he had a sister.

For so very long, the memory of soft blue eyes kept him hoping, hoping against all reason and logic, that the past was real. And now, it was becoming…too real.

_We could die today_, he thought. _All of us could die today. Whatever lies for us in Gate…that is destiny._

It disturbed him, to embrace destiny. He kept his perturbation hidden, buried beneath the confidence of the Dragon. But in a kernel—now a growing kernel—of his heart, he hated it. Always, before Mina and Suzy, before Augus and Katt and Nina and all the other troubles that dogged their every move, Ryu had forged his own so-called destiny. His life had been his own, his path paved by his own hands, his mistakes his own to make.

Fate was a cage.

But now it was one he locked himself in willingly, no matter how much it made him squirm in the deepest recesses of his heart.

As he watched the women slumber, he wondered why. Looking at Katt's winsome grin, hearing Nina's soft sighs, and beholding the calm across Yua's face, he found his answer. If fate meant that things were predetermined, then maybe—just maybe—some happiness was predetermined for them, at least.

"I am the Destined Child," he murmured into the wind, "and I can do anything."

The Great Bird, the only one to hear his musings, cawed in reply. Ryu let himself fall into slumber as well, for he would need his strength. He trusted in the Great Bird—in Mina—to see them safely.

The hours passed, but in dawn's young light, four youths appeared on the back of a giant eagle, eyes shining—every one—with determination. Below them, Gate. Beyond, their destiny. Minutes later, having landed and sent the Great Bird away, the four made their way through the town that was once a home.

But it was empty. The buildings, long since fallen into disrepair, seemed terrifying and haunted. Yua shuddered. Ryu ground his teeth. The sense of evil and sorrow was palpable in this forsaken place. What was once home was not even a memory anymore.

"Someone's going to pay for this," Ryu growled, the memories of his lost childhood—his happy, idyllic childhood—rising up like a ward against the mockery before him. Katt and Nina quietly took one of his arms each, squeezing their support. "Habaruku is heading for the Dragon," Ryu said. "He'll be at the mountains."

"Okasan," Yua murmured worriedly. Suddenly, there was a gout of fire spitting into the air, accompanied by an earthshaking explosion and a thunderous roar. The blue-haired girl's eyes widened. "Okasan!" She ran ahead, up an overgrown trail at the edge of town…a trail that was still all-too familiar. The others followed close behind.

They stumbled into the clearing before the slumbering white Dragon…or what had been the Dragon. Where the majestic creature once slept, covering the cave entrance of forgotten secrets, were only its shattered and bloody remnants.

Yua beheld this murder and shrieked, "OKASAN!" her blue eyes streaming with hot tears. She wailed and fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Nina went to her, futilely trying to soothe the heartbroken girl. Ryu's reaction was the exact opposite. His green eyes flashed hotly with outrage, and his fists became so hard that fingernails bit into palms hard enough to break the skin. Katt, her hand still on his arm, felt his muscles tense into rocks.

The siblings then saw the cause of their mother's destruction: a man in long robes, who could only be Habaruku, standing victoriously over the now-open cave. His laughter was one of success, of unstoppable success. He laughed and laughed, standing amidst the ichor and meat that had once been the white Dragon. That had once been a wife and mother.

"You killed her!" Yua shouted, her voice breaking. "You killed her! You killed her! I hate you, hate you! I hate you!" Her angry litany burned away her tears, so great and so hot was her rage.

"Yua-chan!" Nina tried to hold the girl, back, but anger lent her strength and she broke free of the slender Windian's grasp.

But she could not escape the Woren's. "Hold it, kid," Katt said sternly, grabbing the girl's wrist and pulling her back. Yua actually retaliated, trying to slap the taller woman. "Don't even try it," Katt warned severely. "That Habaruku just blew up a Dragon—he'll do the same to you if you're not careful."

"I don't care," Yua cried. "He killed my mother!"

"You might not care," Katt retorted, "but Ryu does."

That stopped her. Then Yua collapsed, weeping into the Woren's breast. "Okasan…okasan…." She murmured, again and again.

Meanwhile, Ryu stepped toward Habaruku, strangely silent. But one look into his eyes revealed all the screams he did not utter, all the violence he wanted to unleash. Habaruku saw him approach and grinned. "The Destined Child, I assume," he greeted. "Well, well. It's about time I met you. You can only be here if you killed Ray Braddoc, I assume?" Ryu said nothing. "Ah, it must be so," Habaruku continued on. "It is a shame, really. He was quite strong. I'd offer you his position," here, the grand priest gestured to the gore around him, "but I doubt you'd accept." Again, Ryu said nothing, but his teeth flashed as he ground his teeth together.

Habaruku saw this with an amused grin. "So, what will you do now, boy? Kill me? Revenge yourself on behalf of your slaughtered mother? I suggest against that. Right now, I'm the only one who can safely—safely, mind you—enter that cave and reach Deathevn, the true name of Saint Eva. If I don't go, then all the demons your mother held back with her Dragon body will come out and bring ruin and death to this world. Do you want that on your conscience, Destined Child? Could you live with yourself knowing that, if you killed me, you'll be responsible for the deaths of other people, of other mothers?"

Ryu glared at him hatefully. He replied in a deadly, chilling tone, "If you die, then I'll just have to go in there and kill Deathevn myself."

At this, Habaruku laughed uproariously. "Fool child! Fool Destined Child! You think you can kill a god? Ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha—urk!" His laughter was cut short as a flame of agony coursed up his belly, around the muscles of his back and sides, and finally up to his head. He stared down in absolute shock at the yard of steel sticking out of his belly. Ryu twisted the sword mercilessly, drawing a wail of pain from the dying priest. Finally, the Destined Child unceremoniously kicked Habaruku off the weapon.

"I'll," he began, then looked back at his friends, who watched the grand priest breathe his last with grim faces. Watching their stern, set features, he corrected, "_We'll_ kill Deathevn. I refuse to let it end like this." He spoke to the corpse, for Habaruku was truly dead. "My mother gave up her humanity to protect this world. I won't let her sacrifice be in vain. None of us will."

He went to his sister and wrapped her in a tight hug. "We won't let mother die in vain," he whispered to her. She nodded into his chest. "We'll avenge her by stopping this once and for all." Again, she nodded.

"We'll help," Nina murmured, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Katt grinned at him strongly. "We've come this far with you, and we love you too much not to see it to the end. Besides," she added, "you'll need the help."

"Then let's not wait any longer," Ryu said quietly, staring into the darkness of the cave before them. Within that blackness, beyond that portal, lay something all the more darker, a god of shadows and vileness. Beyond, lay everything that they had sacrificed to confront. "It's time to end it all."

The four girded on their wits, steeled their hearts, and stepped into the darkness.

* * *

They walked into a realm of illogic and impossibility. Walls were floors, up was down, and black was white. Swirling images assaulted their senses, pushing and driving them to madness. Men without heads, women without arms, a myriad's myriad of senselessness and confusion, of vile terror and unspeakable unfeasibility.

But the four pressed on, planting one foot in front of the other, holding on to the only thing that made sense—their own camaraderie. They came together, clung together, finding safety and reality in simple touches and the sensation of a friend breathing down their necks. They were each other's anchor in a sea of chaos and change.

There were other images, scenes from memories not their own, yet revealing nonetheless. A beautiful, blue-haired woman with the wings of a dragon, emerging from the darkness of the cave, filled with purpose and duty. She came to the surface and sealed the cave with a door forged from her magic. She fell in love. She gave birth. When she saw the monsters leaking out of the cave, she let go of all she held dear and slept.

In her place was the Dragon, the slumbering guardian Dragon.

Though no names were spoken, though she was only a glimmer in memory, Ryu and Yua knew that they beheld their mother. Perhaps some part of her good spirit resided in this chaotic place, but those comforting images were another anchor, a guidepost that kept them sane and renewed their own purpose. Holding onto each other, the siblings, with Katt and Nina close behind, marched deeper into the infinite limbo.

And then, the chaos disappeared. As if it had never been.

And they beheld Deathevn. As if he had always been.

He was terrible indeed, as mighty as the greatest Dragon, as horrible and ugly as the most deforming pestilence. Every feature of every nightmare ever dreamt was a part of him: rows of gnashing teeth, unsightly slobber and drool, claws and fangs and every kind of scaly or leathery hide, eyes by the multitude, tentacles and wings by the dozen. The very sight of him froze the friends' hearts cold.

"And so the Destined Child comes," Deathevn greeted in a voice not-quite-human. It reverberated, though there was nothing to reverberate against, except the blackness itself. "Come to defy me, as prophecy has foreseen. But can you do it, Destined Child? The Dragon blocked me from victory once before, but failed to destroy me. Can you hope to do better?"

The friends could find no voice, so stunned were they by the god's very ugliness and power. Every one of them gripped their weapons in shaky hands that were slick with sweat. But they held their weapons still. Nina, her hands aglow with sorcery, was ashen and terrified, yet her eyes were as bright sapphires and as hard as steel. Katt, staff in hand, bristled with fear of her own, but stood firm and even growled in defiance. Yua, armed with knife and claw, trembled visibly, but drew strength and resolve from the brother and companions around her. And Ryu, body as hard and tense as rock, silently held his sword before him.

"Such bravery," Deathevn crooned. "But futile." The knifelike appendages came in, as quick as barracuda, as quick as lightning. In an instant, the four heroes lay on the ground, bleeding, defeated, dying.

Ryu, struggling desperately to breathe through pierced lungs, saw how still—deathly still—his friends were. "No…" he moaned, blood frothing at his lips. "No…NO!"

Something awoke inside him. It felt like the Dragon, but it was not the same. It was something…greater.

With a roar, light shattered the darkness.

The swirling, chaotic images returned, but they were no longer born from insanity and improbability. Now, the infinite limbo was filled with memories of happiness and friendship, of a brother searching endlessly for his sister, of two sisters closer than blood but unable to be together, of two women and their love for one man, of an old soldier who finally found some measure of peace, of a good friend who died without a care in the world….

Deathevn cried out as Ryu reappeared, sword in hand, a sword now impaled to the hilt in the enormous, monstrous body. Logic would claim that the weapon could not slay so large a beast. But logic had no place in a world made entirely from the strength of the heart. Deathevn let out another howl and screamed, "I'll sleep…I'll sleep again…defeated again…watch for me, Dragon—watch for me, Destined Child. As long as evil and darkness live in man's heart, I will awaken again…."

* * *

The four stumbled out of the cave, leaning against each other. They were wounded, they were exhausted. But they were alive.

Nina looked up into the sky. It seemed much bluer, more vibrant. "We did it," she whispered in disbelief. Then she smiled and said with more conviction, "We did it." Overcome with joy, she threw herself around Ryu's neck with a laugh, despite the aches of her own delicate body.

"Hey, don't hog him to yourself, Nina," Katt playfully growled, latching onto Ryu's arm and holding on for all it was worth.

Yua draped herself over her brother's other arm and grinned. "Okasan can rest now, Ryu-niisan. Deathevn is dead."

Ryu smiled back, smiled at the two women he held so close to his heart, and again at the sister he cherished. But it was a forced smile. _Not dead_, he thought, _only asleep._

"Come on," Yua said, leading the way. "Mina will be waiting for us. Let's go home." Katt and Nina followed close behind. But Ryu stayed in the clearing, looking at the gaping entrance as if staring into his own soul.

_Not dead_, he reminded himself. _Only asleep._

He knew of only one way to make sure that Deathevn never woke up again. _I was wrong about Yggdrasil. The answer he gave me was not an answer at all. It was…it was a destiny. This is to be my answer._ Ryu reached within himself once more and stroked awake the sleeping Dragon in his heart. He felt himself change, becoming majestically beautiful, a creature of myth, legend, and story.

When the girls came back to find him, all they found was a great Dragon, slumbering, a guardian spirit over the gates of hell. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but it seemed that the wyrm had a sorrowful countenance, thoughthat could not beimpossible with its beautiful visage. There were tears, there were wails. There was mourning and sorrow. But one word cut through it all, spoken quietly on every tongue: "Good-bye."

**The End**


	34. Chapter 34

Final Author's Notes: Free Talk

I'm glad this mother's finally over. Everyone's noticed the last few chapters (the ending especially) really, really stank. I noticed it too, but just didn't feel like fixing it. The reason? I'm working on a much larger scale project (and no, not my Final Fantasy Tactics Novelization).

Perhaps if I had finished the novel of Breath of Fire II during the summer, the ending would have been better. In fact, I know it would have been better, because back then I had momentum. The initial 20 chapters were heads and shoulders over the last run of them. Back then, I had the game clear in my memory, I had a direction I wanted to go in, and I had time to put it all together.

Then school started and I took a day off. It became two days. Then it became a week, two weeks, and by the time I got around to writing the final half of the Highfort story arc, I had a really forced death scene for Sten (not to mention all the glaring accent errors in the rest of the Highlanders; seems Sten had mutated vocal chords or something). The problem only got worse. An ending run that should have spanned a total of 10 chapters was condensed into 4.

So it goes.

Of course, I already noticed the trend. I could have put an end to it early on. I eventually found the time. I just kept on not doing it. It is called laziness, and I am not ashamed to admit it as a flaw.

That wasn't the only reason for the inevitable death of Breath of Fire. I was losing interest, fast. I knew I had to finish it before I just said, "Screw it." I won't go back and rewrite those last 6 chapters. I won't go back and fix all the errors. I probably won't even bother to look at the fanfic again.

Why? My interest went off to another project. It's a big project. This time, I'm allocating my time, taking it slow and easy. I'm 1/3 of the way through outlining the story, and I know exactly what I want done and where it ought to be done. I drafted the main characters three times before I was satisfied with how they would play out in the story arc. I even rewrote some portions of my outline. By the time I'm done with pre-production, I should be able to crank out all twenty-five 20-page chapters in as many days, simply because I'll know the story inside and out.

What I did wrong in BoF was trying to work without a solid guide; I thought I could finish it using only raw memory of the game and a few twists and turns. I knew that if I took too long, I'd lose interest, so I tried going as fast as I could. Now, for this denser project, I'm doing the opposite.

I already knew what flaws I had. BoF served to remind me of them. BoF is the stepping stone I'll be using for future writings and future dreams.

Cest la vie, boys and girls.


End file.
